RIYADH: The Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (MiSK) on Thursday recognized the Water Youth Network with its first place International NGO (non-government organizations) Award and a $30,000 fund on the concluding day of the seventh UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) NGO Forum 2017.
The MiSK Award aims to highlight and empower projects, create positive change in communities, support youth and promote community partnership.
Bader bin Mohammed Al-Asaker, secretary-general of the MiSK Charity Foundation, presented the award and the foundation’s shield during a ceremony.
Water Youth Network is an NGO that links youth initiatives in the provision of clean water to remote areas without water by providing a database of all organizations, initiatives and individuals interested in this area.
The jury of the competition was keen to select the most outstanding projects or presentations from non-profit organizations working in the field of encouraging young people to lead the social change positively among the 70 participating organizations from around the world.
MiSK has also awarded the foundation’s shield and $20,000 each to Hive Colab of Uganda, Fa.Vela organization of Brazil, International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF NGO) of Paris and SOM Editorial Colectiva.
The jury members of MiSK NGO Pitch Competition were Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, MiSK Foundation representative Shaima Hamidaddin and Alexander Schischlik, chief of youth and sport sector for social and human sciences at UNESCO.
Addressing forum participants, Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Essa, minister of education, said that Saudi schools and universities have made direct initiatives that made a difference in supporting the educational process, while depending on individual efforts filled with ambition to achieve a bright future for the present and future generations.
Al-Essa noted the positive role of these initiatives that coincide with the ministry’s plans and policies that focus on issues that are of interest to the society such as the environment, water resources, desertification and sustainable development.
He said the environment of education is adequate to research many of the issues that are of concern to the international community. He expressed the ministry’s readiness to cooperate with NGOs in seeking solutions to the issues related to environment and sustainable development within the framework of the Kingdom’s efforts in that regard.
Saudi Arabia has adopted the goals of the landmark Paris accord of 2015 that sparked an important change in countries’ sustainable development agendas. Under that agreement, countries have committed to redirect their economies toward achieving justice and sustainable environment.
Speakers in the session focused on the necessity of involve all segments of societies in tackling the issue of climate change and the significance of education in that regard.
Labor Minister Salem Al-Dini said the ministry is responsible for establishing associations and civil institutions in the Kingdom under the new NGO system.
He added that the ministry receives any applications for registration of associations through the ministry’s website.
Al-Dini pointed out that the ministry is developing regulations to preserve the rights of volunteers in NGOs. As for volunteering in the private sector, Al-Dini said it is important not to create voluntary opportunities that lead to the private sector benefiting financially directly, such as reducing the number of employees in the private facility.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova delivered a closing speech thanking MiSK Foundation and NGO-UNESCO for “giving voice to youth aspirations.
UNESCO forum concludes with an eye on sustainable development
UNESCO forum concludes with an eye on sustainable development
Saudi Border Guard arrest 4 attempting to smuggle qat
JAZAN: The Kingdom’s Border Guard in Al-Ardah, Jazan, recently arrested four Yemeni nationals attempting to smuggle 80 kg of qat into the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Mostly chewed by users, Qat is a mild stimulant and illegal across most of the Arab world.
The government has urged citizens and residents to report any information they have regarding drug smuggling or sales to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control. Reports can be made by calling 911 for Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and 999 for other regions. Alternatively, information can be emailed to [email protected]. All reports are treated confidentially.
KSrelief distributes food in Pakistan, drills solar-powered wells in Nigeria
DUBAI: KSrelief, Saudi Arabia’s aid agency, recently distributed 370 food baskets in the flood-hit Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, benefiting 2,590 individuals.
The aid was a part of the fourth phase of the Kingdom’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan 2024.
Last week, KSrelief, in collaboration with a civil society organization, initiated a project to drill six solar-powered medium-depth water wells in Kwara State, Nigeria. The wells, each at a depth of about 80 meters and equipped with tanks holding 5,000 liters, are for the benefit of 30,000 individuals.
The beneficiaries lauded Saudi Arabia for addressing their vital water needs.
Saudi anti-corruption authority reveals details of recent cases
- Spokesman said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators
RIYADH: A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha, revealed on Sunday details of a number of criminal cases it recently investigated and prosecuted.
Outlining 20 of the most prominent corruption cases, he said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators.
In one case, two Central Bank employees were arrested for receiving sums of money from a resident, who was also arrested, in exchange for depositing more than SR7.3 million ($1.95 million), without verifying the source, into bank accounts belonging to commercial entities over a two-year period.
In another case, a security officer working at the General Department of Traffic was arrested for receiving SR387,000 from the owner of a public services office, who was also arrested, in exchange for illegally amending the essential data of a group of vehicles.
One of the cases also highlighted involved an employee working at a university hospital who was arrested for receiving SR100,000 from citizens in exchange for a promise to employ them at the university.
Nazaha said it continues to work to identify and prosecute anyone in the Kingdom involved in the embezzlement of public funds, guilty of abuse of power and position for personal gain, or otherwise harming the public interest.
It stressed that guilty parties will be pursued and held accountable, and that there is no statute of limitations on such crimes.
Saudi, Bahraini public prosecutor meet in Manama
- Al-Mujeb highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership
RIYADH: Saudi Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mujeb met with his Bahraini counterpart Ali bin Fadl Al Buainain in Manama, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Al-Buainain welcomed Al-Mujeb and his accompanying delegation and expressed his delight at the visit, which he said signified the ongoing exchange of visits between the judicial bodies of the two nations and the sustained collaboration in combating transnational crime.
During the meeting, Al-Mujeb emphasized the deep-rooted historical ties between the Bahrain and the Kingdom and their continued advancement across various sectors, particularly in parliamentary cooperation and the exchange of information to ensure regional security.
He highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership, which he said enhanced the efficiency of its judicial processes.
Conjoined Filipino twins arrive in Riyadh for surgery
- Parents convey appreciation to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
RIYADH: Conjoined Filipino twins arrived in Riyadh from Manila on Sunday following a Saudi evacuation plan coordinated by the Ministry of Health, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph were born in Panabo City in the Davao del Norte province on the southern island of Mindanao in December 2022. Their bodies share one liver.
The two 16-month-old girls arrived at King Khalid International Airport and traveled to the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital to be assessed to determine the feasibility of separation surgery.
Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, thanked the Kingdom’s leadership for their support of the flagship Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
The program, which is spearheaded by Al-Rabeeah, has operated on more than 130 children from 25 countries since 1990. The children were born sharing internal organs with their twin.
Al-Rabeeah spoke of the program’s global significance which marks a milestone in the field of medicine, while aligning with the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to elevate the Kingdom’s healthcare services.
The parents of Akhizah and Ayeesha conveyed their heartfelt appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them following their arrival in the Kingdom.
