Although there are hundreds of civil society organizations working in
various fields in Saudi Arabia, the vast majority of them are
government-affiliated, and there are few, if any, truly independent
organizations. Civil society remains underdeveloped, due in large part
to a restrictive legal framework that limits organizations’ activities
and funding and a lack of expertise in establishing effective and
sustainable institutions. This environment exists despite Saudi
society’s cultural and social heritage, including religious laws that
call for civic work in various spheres.
Throughout Saudi Arabia’s history, various forms of
civil society organizations appeared and contributed to bringing the
public's efforts together for volunteer projects. However, these
advances were hindered by the establishment of modern state institutions
that adopted a central administrative approach and effectively
prohibited independent civic action.
In recent years, the Saudi Arabian people have increasingly called
for expanded civic rights. In response to these demands, the Saudi
Ministry of Social Affairs first proposed in 2006 a draft Law on Associations and Foundations to provide a unified legal code for civil society organizations. On 18 January 2008, the Al Watan newspaper published what was reported as the most recent version of the draft law [English] [Arabic].
Since then, no action has been taken by the Saudi government. As
recently as October 2013, a consortium of civil society groups called on the government to adopt a new and enabling CSO law, but there has been no indication that the government will do so any time soon.
As a result, Saudi civil society continues to be regulated by the Saudi Basic Law of Governance and the restrictive and outdated Decision of the Council of Ministers 107 of 25 Jumada al Akheera 1410 (23 January 1990).
website : http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/saudiarabia.html
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