Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has issued a royal order to convert Riyadh Development Authority to a royal commission under the name "The Royal Commission for Riyadh City", Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday. The royal order said that this is due to the King's keenness to raise the standard of Riyadh City in all fields, befitting its status as the Kingdom's capital and its occupying a distinctive place, "as we aspire for it". The royal commission will have a Board of Directors to be chaired by the deputy premier. The commission's members will be appointed according to an order by the Prime Minister. All the tasks related to the mega national projects in Riyadh shall be transferred from the "Mega National Projects Committee" to the "The Royal Commission for Riyadh City". The Experts Commission at the Council of Ministers, in coordination with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and any other related authorities it sees fit, shall prepare what is necessary for completing the required legal procedures, within a period not exceeding three months. The royal order has been issued to make the following members of the Board of Directors: Emir of Riyadh, Minister of Interior, Deputy Emir of Riyadh, and ministers of Commerce and Investment, municipal and rural affairs; environment, water and agriculture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Water Company (NWC), Minister of Finance; communications and information technology; transport; economy and planning; industry and mineral resources, and Engineer Ibrahim Muhammad Al-Sultan, the Mayor of Riyadh and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Electricity Company. A second royal order directed the formation of a commission under the name "The Saudi Commission for Data and Artificial Intelligence" directly linked to the Premiership. It will have a Board of Directors under the chairmanship of the Deputy Premier and its members shall be appointed according to an order by the Prime Minister. A center under the name "The National Center for Artificial Intelligence" and an office under the name "The National Data Management Office" will also be formed. Both of these bodies will be linked organizationally with the "Saudi Commission for Data and Artificial Intelligence". A third royal order directed the formation of a ministry under the name "The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources", which will be headed by Bandar Al-Khorayef, to which the jurisdictions, tasks and responsibilities related to the two sectors — industry and mineral resources — shall be transferred. The name "Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources" shall be changed to "The Ministry of Energy". "The Ministry of Energy" will be in charge of the jurisdictions, tasks and responsibilities that were under "The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources" until the end of the current fiscal year. Then, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources shall begin the latter's functions at the start of the next fiscal year. The Experts Commission at the Council of Ministers shall coordinate with whatever related authorities it sees fit, within a period not exceeding three months, as of the date of issuance of this order. Therefore, it will make the necessary arrangements for transferring and specifying the jurisdictions, authorities, employees, jobs, properties, and allocations, among others. Second, it will review the regulations, royal orders and decrees, and the decisions that have been affected by this decision and propose their amendment in preparation for completing the required regulatory procedures. The decrees also saw the appointment of Fahd Bin Mohammed Al-Essa as chief of the Royal Court, Bandar Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban as an advisor to the Royal Court, while Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad was appointed head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. The king's decrees named Majid Bin Salim Al-Ghanimi as deputy minister of Labor and Social Development, and Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development Tamader Al-Rammah has been relieved from her post. — SPA/SG
