The honoring of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to the Shura Council every year embodies his interest in the Shura Council, as he draws through his annual speech the Kingdom’s internal and external policy, at a time when the Kingdom is moving strongly and steadily towards achieving its desired goals, through the National Transformation 2020 and Vision 2030 led by Khadim. The Two Holy Mosques and his trustworthy Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, through which the Kingdom occupies a prominent position in various fields. King Salman's wise vision, which is framed by clarity and transparency, is evident regarding a number of internal and external issues.
Finally, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, in his speech under the dome of the Shura, stressed the state’s determination to confront all those who call for extremism and extremism in religion or the opposite extremism, which is dissolution, especially those who tempt themselves to employ moderation or understand it according to an erroneous context that would prolong. Thabit al-Din, on which the entity of the Kingdom was established, all of this confirms the moderate, moderate approach on which it was founded since the era of King Abdulaziz Al Saud – may God have mercy on him – and continued to follow his righteous guidance during this prosperous era.
On the other hand, the Shura Council, during the work of the first year of its seventh session, which ended on the second of the month of Rabi` al-Awwal 1439, presented its vision in the performance of government agencies, which were included in decisions that the Council submitted to the position of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as the supreme reference for the authorities in the state. And that was after a regular and accurate work session and in-depth discussions of the performance reports of ministries and government agencies, with the aim of improving their services provided to the citizen, which qualified the Council to be a strong support for the state and a pillar of modernization and development for its agencies and institutions.
The Council's achievements in the first year were represented in the size of the decisions it issued in its 66 sessions that it held during the reporting year, decisions that touched the concerns and needs of the citizen, and pursued the higher interests of the state and the nation by studying draft regulations, international agreements and treaties, performance reports of government agencies and hosting officials according to A context based on research, studies, discussion and deliberation of opinion, putting forward proposals and recommendations, and then making decisions.
In terms of numbers, the Shura Council completed the study and discussion of (201) topics, and issued (201) decisions regarding them, including (11) internal decisions and (190) decisions distributed according to specialized and special committees, and according to the type of transaction, which was raised to the position of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques according to Article Seven. Ten of the board system. In this report, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on Wednesday corresponding to Rabi` al-Awwal 25, 1439, the General Administration of Media and Community Communication of the Shura Council monitors the most prominent decisions issued by the Shura Council during the first year of the current seventh session, and the issues that are still under study. .
The 66 sessions of the Council during the past first year of the seventh session of the Council represented an important artery to nourish government work, push it towards further achievement, and avoid difficulties that may face the performance of ministries and government agencies, with the aim of improving their services provided to the citizen.
The Shura Council issued (201) decisions that were submitted to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in accordance with Article 17 of the Council’s system, which included rules and regulations, annual performance reports, international agreements and treaties, memorandums of understanding, and proposals made by a number of members of the Council.
67 decisions
The report detailed that the council issued 67 decisions related to the annual performance reports of ministries and government agencies, 20 decisions related to rules and regulations, and 96 decisions related to bilateral agreements and international treaties, and other issues that fall within the competence of the council.
As for the proposals proposed by a member or a number of members based on Article 23 of the Shura Council system, and discussed by the Council during the first year, the subject of the report, they amounted to about 13 proposals.
At the forefront of the issues, in terms of importance that touches the concerns of citizens, is the expansion of the provision of loans for investment in the field of logistics services, the empowerment of women in senior leadership positions, the acceleration of the application of health insurance to groups eligible for social security, and the approval of a draft value-added tax system, taking into account the enforcement of The unified agreement for value-added tax for the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf before the issuance of the system, and the activation of the unified account program for citizens before the implementation of the value-added tax; To reduce the negative effects on citizens resulting from its application, and to ensure the continuation of government support for wheat after the privatization of flour mills; To ensure that the product continues to reach the consumer at the appropriate price, and to expedite the delivery of housing products to citizens, with an emphasis on removing obstacles to the option of providing direct loans.
Social affairs, family and youth
The Shura Council approved a draft system for the rights and care of the elderly. The Shura Council called on the Ministry of Labor and Development to coordinate with the concerned authorities to work on separating civil associations and institutions from the supervision of the ministry so that they are under the supervision of an independent body and address the deficiencies in the services provided in homes, centers and shelter institutions. The Council also called on the Ministry to expedite the application of health insurance to the categories eligible for social security and to expand the establishment of day care centers for the elderly, people with special needs, and post-operative patients. The Shura Council called on the Social Development Bank to raise the value of productive loans in quantity and quality. To achieve the objectives for which these loans were created.
the health
In the health sector, the Shura Council called on the Food and Drug General Authority to expedite the preparation of its systems and regulations, especially in the areas of food and medicine, medical devices and products, in line with scientific, professional and technical developments, and international practices.
The Council also approved the two drafts of each of the “Pharmaceutical Facilities and Preparations Law” and the “Private Health Facilities Law” and amending a number of the Health Professions Practice Law, issued by Royal Decree No. M/59 dated 11/4/1426 AH, in the attached form.
education
In the educational aspect, the Council agreed to amend Article (9) of the Foreign Schools Regulations issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 26 dated 2/4/1418 AH, and stipulates that “the Supervisory Board sets the instructions and rules necessary to implement this regulation, and in particular it has the right to approve Rules and procedures necessary for granting licenses and applications for the opening of foreign schools, educational programmes, curricula, tuition fees, donations and endowments granted to foreign schools.
The Council called on the Ministry of Education and universities to review their policies, strategic objectives, educational programs and projects, plans and curricula, and scientific studies and research, with the aim of developing and improving their outputs in quantity and quality. In a way that contributes to achieving the strategic educational goals related to the Kingdom’s Vision (2030), and enhances the chances of activating the implementation initiatives included in the National Transformation Program (2020), and including what is being done in this regard in its next annual report.
Human rights and anti-corruption
The Council paid attention to human rights and the work of the Human Rights Commission. With regard to combating corruption and promoting integrity, the Shura Council called on the National Anti-Corruption Commission to focus on the causes of corruption and address them. Through conducting survey studies of all phenomena, proposing administrative and systemic solutions, and studying the reality of corruption in the private sector, especially in the banking, financing, insurance and contracting sectors, and the extent of its impact on the public sector.
Regarding the oversight matters carried out by the Oversight and Investigation Board, the Council called on the Board to study transferring all types of oversight undertaken by the Oversight and Investigation Board to the General Audit Bureau, and to develop systems for disciplining state employees to allow for tighter administrative oversight and improved performance.
The Council also called on the Oversight and Investigation Authority to set criteria for the priorities of oversight of the authorities, and to develop their performance and programs in a manner that achieves the state’s directions to enhance transparency, accountability, responsibility, and the preservation of public money.
In its decision, the Council stressed the importance of the authority coordinating with the Food and Drug General Authority and the Ministries of Health and Municipal and Rural Affairs in the field of monitoring the safety of food services (cooked food) in prisons and detention centers.
Culture, media, tourism and antiquities
In the cultural and media affairs, the Council affirmed what was stated in item (Second) of Shura Council Resolution No. 27/19 dated 5/13/1429 AH, regarding increasing the activation of the contents of radio and television programmes; In order to achieve the rooting of the precious Islamic values of society, the consolidation of its noble Arab traditions, the preservation of its inherited benevolent habits, and the resistance of everything that would spoil its purity and serenity.
The Council called for studying the establishment of a Saudi documentary television channel.
In the cultural matter, the Council approved a draft amendment to Article Two of the Saudi Order of Decorations, issued by Royal Decree No. (M / 39) dated 6/24/1434 AH.
With regard to tourism, the Council called on the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to coordinate with the relevant authorities. To expedite the approval of the license to establish the Al-Aqeer Development Company, and to pay attention to the requirements of people with special needs (people with disabilities and the elderly) in its current and future plans to enable them to visit archaeological and historical buildings and tourist sites.
transportation and communications
The Shura Council stressed the importance of developing technical and service competencies that work in the face of travelers, while providing distinguished services to gain customer satisfaction.
The Council called on the General Organization of Saudi Arabian Airlines to study the extent of flight schedules and the factors that negatively affect their discipline.
The Shura Council also called on the General Authority of Civil Aviation to allocate a special lane at domestic and international airports for the elderly and people with needs (for entry, exit, customs, and passports), so that it would be a comprehensive service for them in this lane.
The Council called on the General Authority of Civil Aviation to work on completing the self-service system for all airports and to address the high prices of domestic tickets.
With regard to communications, the Shura Council called on the Communications and Information Technology Commission to quickly implement the strategy of providing broadband networks in all regions of the Kingdom, and to provide its services to all at high speeds and reasonable prices.
The Council also called for obligating telecommunications companies to expand their networks to continue providing the best services and to fulfill their obligations to subscribers, such as unlimited internet and others. Concerning railways in the Kingdom, the Council demanded the General Organization for Railways to expand the connection of the industrial cities – affiliated to the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) – with railways.
The Council also called on the Corporation to develop its services provided to travelers, to include electronic services, issuance of smart cards, food services, and promotion programs.
Fares Al-Qahtani (Riyadh)