The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been dedicated to providing humanitarian aid around the world. a significant mission to fulfill in providing relief and aid to all those in need around the world. In this section, you will gain insight into Saudi aid given to refugees, displaced people and visitors. You will also become familiarized with the Kingdom’s charitable and humanitarian initiatives, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the Saudi Aid Platform, the employment enabling services including Ajeer service, and the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic
Saudi Fund for Development
The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) was established as a governmental institution to provide support in the form of soft loans to finance development projects in developing countries. As a member of the international development community, SFD has been supporting least developed countries (LDCs) in overcoming the difficulties and challenges that they are facing by financing impactful and critical projects and programs. Such projects contribute to the economic and social growth in those countries and improve the standard of living for their people. Through the unlimited support of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SFD manages generous grants dedicated to supporting and financing various development projects and programs in least developed countries across the world.
Sectoral distribution of the total projects of the Fund
SFD seeks to provide the financing necessary for the development projects in the developing countries. Its primary focus is placed on the sectors of infrastructure and productivity. Since the SFD began its loan activities in the mid-seventies to the end of 2020, the number of development projects and programs financed in the Transportation and Communication sector reached 227. The Social Infrastructure came in the second place with 225 development projects and programs. The Agriculture sector came in next place with 97 projects and programs, followed by the Energy sector with 76 projects and programs. In the same way, the SFD contributed to the financing of 54 projects and programs in other sectors. The Fund financed 16 projects and programs in the Industry and Mining sector, as well as executing two financing agreements with international organizations.
- To view the number of projects in each sector, click here.
Cumulative Contributions
Since its inception in 1975 until the end of 2020, the SFD had provided 730 development loans to finance 692 development projects and programs for the benefit of 84 developing countries worldwide. In addition, the SFD contributed to the signing of two financing agreements with the International Development Association (IDA), with a total amount of SAR 905 million, to bring the total amount provided by the SFD to SR 69095.63 million.
- To view the fund annual reports, click here.
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center
Historically, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken on a pioneering humanitarian role in serving the international community around the world. The Kingdom realizes the significance of this role in alleviating human suffering and ensuring that all people are given the opportunity to live healthy, dignified lives. To further emphasize their dedication to the service of all in need, the leadership of Saudi Arabia established King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. The purpose of this important international organization is to provide humanitarian aid and relief to those in need outside of the Kingdom’s borders. The activities of the center were inaugurated in May of 2015 under the high patronage and guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, may God support him. The center’s activities are founded upon noble fundamental humanitarian goals and principles. Elements needed to carry out our programs include the detailed monitoring of all aid, the highly coordinated and advanced transportation of aid through highly trusted UN agencies and local and international non-profit organizations in the recipient countries. Programs are chosen based upon the eligibility of targeted recipients in selected geographical areas. The aid includes all humanitarian and relief sectors.
Center Workplaces
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has provided humanitarian and development aid to more than 90 countries over four continents. With international, regional and local partners in place in recipient countries to implement our many programs and initiatives, we have delivered assistance to millions of beneficiaries worldwide.
- To view the chart showing nations helped by KSrelief, click here.
Saudi Aid Database Platform
To highlight the Kingdom's efforts internationally and to preserve its rights to philanthropy like any other major donor country, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques issued a Royal Decree No. 41555 dated 10/9/1438, directing KSrelief to establish a database platform to reflect all of the Kingdom's foreign aid efforts in coordination with the relevant Saudi entities.
The Saudi portal for Volunteering Abroad
Volunteer work is one of the seven principles of humanitarian work that organizations and agencies working in the humanitarian field is keen to implement. King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre (KSrelief) is your path to a rich and productive volunteer experience. We are keen to provide opportunities for volunteers to serve humanity and to enhance community development.
- To view and join the volunteering campaigns, click here.
Online donation portal (Sahem)
Sahem is an electronic platform for the humanitarian programs provided by King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre around the world. E-Donate serves donors who would like to donate through such a platform using electronic services. Sahem offers the user a personal account. This helps the donor to track the programs to which he/she has donated to. This platform is the only official platform that provides its users with the ability to directly donate to King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Center's projects. The Centre does not deduct any administrative expenses from voluntary contributions.
- To pay money Zakat, click here.
- To make monthly donations, click here.
- To view the projects tin which you can participate, click here.
Dedicated Humanitarian Programs
The King Salman Center adopts a number of specialized humanitarian projects for visitors in Saudi Arabia:
- Project Malath: it aims to rehabilitate children recruited and affected by the armed conflict in Yemen by integrating them into society, enrolling them in schools and take care of them, in addition to providing them with psychological and social rehabilitation and preparing courses for them and their families to practice their normal lives as children.
- Project Masam: a Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen. The goal of the project is to clear Yemen of all land mines and other explosive devices. It is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to countries around the world.
- Artificial Limbs Program: King Salman Relief Center funds The Artificial Limbs Centers that provides free services to those who have received an amputation among Yemen’s civilian population due to land mine incidents which have been planted illegally throughout the country by Houthi militia groups. Once the prosthetic devices have been completed and fitted, specialized rehabilitation teams help patients adjust to the use of their new limbs in order to return home with new confidence and improved mobility.
Saudi Aids to Refugees and Displaced People
Refugees are people who have left their country due to war, violence, conflict, or persecution, and have crossed international borders to seek safety in another country. These people are unable or unwilling to return to their country, for fear of being persecuted for reasons related to race, religion, nationality, belonging to certain groups, or because of political opinion, as defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Saudi Aid for Refugees and IDPs website shed light on the type and volume of aid provided by the Kingdom to refugees and displaced persons inside and outside Saudi Arabia.
- Refugees in Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered one of the leading countries in hosting refugees (visitors); the Kingdom provides refugees with free health care and education. It is also keen to integrate the visitors into Saudi society by providing breadwinners with job opportunities and enrolling their children in public schools. The percentage of the number of refugees inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reached 5.5% of the total Saudi population.
- Refugees outside Saudi Arabia: The refugees around the world who have suffered from forcible displacement because of political, religious, or ethnic reasons. And the humanity identity of Saudi Arabia seeks to alleviate their suffering by providing the basics of a decent life, including housing, education, nutrition, and treatment.
International Journal of Human Studies
It International Journal of Human Studies is concerned with enriching the scientific content in the field of humanitarian and relief work. It is a refereed journal, semi-annual, issued by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action in cooperation with the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. It is concerned with academic research, field studies, and specialized best practices in the field of relief and humanitarian work. It targets academics and researchers in this field, as well as practitioners and staff working in the field of relief, humanitarian work, and human rights.
The Muslim World League
The Muslim World League is an international non-governmental Islamic organization based in the Holy City of Makkah. It aims to present the true Islam and extends bridges of dialogue and cooperation with all. The Muslim World League Members:
- The United Nations Organization: Observer in consultative status with the ECOSOC.
- Organization of the Islamic Cooperation: Observe status in attendance at all meetings and conferences.
- UNESCO: Member.
- UNICEF: Member.
Employment Enabling Services
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development sponsors the Ajeer program, which contributes to organizing temporary work and facilitating access to a workforce. The program allows Yemeni and Syrian workers to work regularly inside the Kingdom. The legal documents the Ajeer Program provide include:
- Temporary work notice for Syrian visitors
- Temporary work notice for Yemeni visitors (domestic jobs)
- Temporary work notice for Yemeni visitors (professional jobs)
Education Enabling Services
The Kingdom's Humanitarian Efforts During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played an effective role in facing the COVID-19 pandemic locally and globally, as it has provided many medical and educational support, food and non-food items.
Tackling COVID-19
With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s response to the quick-spreading virus was swift and effective, ensuring the containment of the virus thus minimizing a far greater crisis. Learning from previous experiences, such as the MERS outbreak, the Kingdom felt an immense responsibility to keep the virus under wraps. The Kingdom developed the COVID-19 Follow-up Committee, which was dedicated to monitoring and coordinating the national response to the spread of the virus in Saudi Arabia. COVID-19 had been spreading throughout the world two months before reaching the Kingdom, giving the Kingdom a head-start to put an effective plan to tackle the disease into place. The Kingdom was one of the first countries to set-up a secure testing laboratory and began implementing travel restrictions and constraints on shipping services, which eventually led to imposed bans on domestic and international travel via air, land and sea, leading to a Kingdom-wide lockdown to ensure that the unraveling of cases was kept at bay. The Kingdom went on to further implement temperature checks and created the Tawakalna app, which was to be presented among entrance into any public entity, stating your current infection status of COVID-19, as either positive, negative, or immune. The Kingdom also ensured that the authorized and approved vaccines are provided to citizens, residents, visitors, and residency violators, in addition to other services such as examinations and overall treatments, free of charge.