Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmed Al-Rajhi revealed that there has been an increase of 173 percent in the rate of non-profit organizations during the six-year period between 2018 and 2024.

Al-Rajhi, who is also chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development, said this while addressing the Second Annual Forum for Non-Governmental Organizations in Riyadh on Sunday. The forum, themed “Partnerships in the Non-Governmental Sector,” was organized by the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations.

The minister said that the non-profit organizations achieved an average governance score of 89.7 percent. “There has been an increase in the satisfaction rate of beneficiaries of services of non-profit organizations reaching 86 percent, exceeding the target for the year 2025. The percentage of specialized non-profit organizations increased to 85.5 percent, reaching more than 800000 volunteers, and the government contracts awarded to non-profit sector organizations valued at SR6 billion since 2018,” he said.

Al-Rajhi highlighted the pioneering role played by the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, in cooperation with the Non-Profit Sector Center, in supporting partnerships in the non-governmental sector, and enhancing the process of growth and empowerment of civil society organizations to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. He lauded the support and keenness that the non-profit sector received from the wise leadership.

For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Rajhi said that the second forum aimed to enhance integration, coordination and knowledge exchange between NGOs. “This year, the forum aims to raise awareness about the importance of partnerships in the NGO sector, and strengthen those partnerships with other sectors, in addition to sharing local and global experiences of partnerships in the NGO sector,” he said while pointing out that there are four dialogue sessions with presentation of 12 scientific papers at the forum.

Minister Al Rajhi witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding between the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations and a number of governmental and non-profit agencies, namely the National Center for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector, Elm Company, the Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz National Foundation, and the Leadership Development Company.

The minister launched a number of the council’s products and initiatives, including: the Sharakat platform, which is concerned with strengthening partnerships in the civil society organizations sector, and the Intilaaqah Initiative, which is concerned with enhancing the role of women in development work in the civil society organizations sector and motivating female entrepreneurs to present their initiatives to support non-governmental organizations.

The minister also launched the second batch of the Saudi-British Fellowship Program in Leadership Development Work, implemented by the Leadership Development Company, in partnership with the University of Manchester. He witnessed the launch of a number of guides and studies aimed at increasing cognitive and administrative awareness in the civil society sector