Law of the National Center for Charity and Humanitarian Affairs
The Charitable and Humanitarian Work Regulation Law has transformed from a draft subject to discussion and speculation into an enforceable statute, following the publication of Decree-Law No. 87 of 2026 in the Official Gazette. This milestone closes a phase of debate regarding the need for legislation to regulate this sector and opens a more critical chapter focused on implementation, assessing its impacts, and translating its objectives into sustainable institutional practice.
I have followed the law’s deliberations and iterations over the past decade, and I believe its issuance marks a significant step in revitalizing the charitable work environment and building upon its existing achievements.
In this regard, I congratulate Minister Dr. Amthal Al-Huwail, her diligent Deputy Minister Eman Al-Anzi, and all those who contributed to reaching this moment. We now have a foundation upon which to build, allowing us to complete the system’s framework with modern regulations, smart systems, workforce qualification, and numerous development pathways that I previously addressed in the first sustainability report on the charitable and humanitarian sector.
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Before its enactment, I wondered with some colleagues: What do we want this law to achieve for the future of charitable and humanitarian work? Today, the question has become more urgent: What can we achieve with this law?
The new legislation goes beyond regulating fundraising, controlling funding sources, and directing expenditures. It establishes a broader system by creating the National Center for Charitable and Humanitarian Work, setting a comprehensive national strategy, issuing a guide for charitable governance and a code of ethics, alongside data and registry standards, and oversight and evaluation mechanisms.
This is the turning point: we are moving toward a more integrated institutional framework, while affirming the independence of associations in implementing their licensed programs and projects. It also opens a window to support activities required by the state and innovative projects with social, cultural, and humanitarian objectives.
Indeed, oversight is essential, and compliance is a responsibility. Protecting donors’ funds and safeguarding beneficiaries’ privacy are fundamental duties, and the law clearly emphasizes these aspects. However, in my view, its success will also be measured by the ability of charitable institutions to transition to a higher level of professionalism and sustainability—knowing what they do, why, for whom, with what resources, and what transformation they have brought about in beneficiaries’ lives.
Notably, the law itself paves the way for this direction, as innovation has become one of the entry points for supporting and empowering associations. Here, I recall the “Social Protection” initiative, which the Ministry discussed with a broad range of government entities and charitable associations, reflecting a strategic orientation that enhances future readiness and addresses poverty and vulnerability.
The coming phase requires genuine partnership between the state and the charitable and humanitarian sector, based on localization and empowerment, oversight and development, and protecting the sector from practices that harm its reputation, while preserving its capacity for initiative, responsiveness, and innovation.
The National Center remains presented with a historic opportunity to serve as a national umbrella that aggregates knowledge, expertise, data, training, and coordination, driving toward a more professional and well-governed sector, and helping to achieve the best possible sustainability of impact.
We want a law that enhances trust, protects charitable and humanitarian funds, preserves the dignity of beneficiaries, raises governance standards, invests in volunteering, unleashes innovation, and anticipates impact through serious indicators.
We want goodness that responds to need, addresses the root causes of challenges, and does not merely spend, but understands the outcomes of its expenditures.
We now have a law regulating charitable and humanitarian work. The task ahead is to build our model of sustainable charitable and humanitarian action with it. Here lies the definitive beginning and the new birth emerging from this phase.
Sustainability expert
