Ministry of Social Affairs: 9 Controls to Regulate Advertising for Charitable Projects

Al-Jarida learned from its sources that the Ministry of Social Affairs, represented by the Department of Charitable Societies and Endowments, has established nine regulations for registered charitable entities to govern their media work and the mechanism for publishing advertisements related to charitable and humanitarian projects and activities, emphasizing that any society or endowment violating these regulations will be subject to legal accountability.

According to the sources, these regulations are mandatory and must be followed by charitable entities when advertising or promoting their projects and activities. The foremost requirement is that all projects and activities featured in advertisements or media coverage must be approved by the Ministry. The ministry stressed the necessity of ensuring accuracy, credibility, and transparency in all information and data contained in media and advertising materials.

Sources pointed out that advertisements must align with the nature, objectives, implementation location, and beneficiary groups of the project, as approved by the Ministry. They emphasized the prohibition of using images, videos, or phrases that could undermine the dignity of beneficiaries or exploit their humanitarian suffering for promotional or marketing purposes, while respecting privacy and humanitarian considerations.

While confirming the necessity of not publishing names, images, or personal data of beneficiaries except within legally permitted limits, the ministry prohibited the use of inaccurate statements regarding the scale of the project, the number of beneficiaries, or the achieved results. It clarified that each society is responsible for the content published on its website and official social media accounts, as well as materials published through third parties or individuals contracted to promote its projects.

Furthermore, the regulations prohibit the use of logos or names of government entities or others without prior approval. They also mandate maintaining a record of media and advertising materials and campaigns related to projects and activities, and providing them to the Ministry upon request for monitoring and oversight purposes. The ministry emphasized that these regulations aim to organize charitable work and enhance principles of transparency and integrity, which will positively reflect on the media and advertising materials of approved projects and activities of charitable societies and endowments. It urged societies and endowments to comply with these regulations and disseminate them to their relevant administrative departments, specialized sections, and media staff.