RIYADH: Saudi women will be allowed to start driving in the kingdom from June 24, the General Department of Traffic Director General Mohammed Al-Bassami said on Tuesday.
“All the requirements for women in the kingdom to start driving have been established,” Bassami was quoted as saying in a statement released by the government.
In September 2017, a royal decree announced the end of a decades-long ban on women driving — the only one of its kind in the world.
Women 18 years of age and older will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license, Bassami said.
Driving schools for women have been set up across five cities in the kingdom, and teachers will include Saudi women who obtained their licenses abroad.
Women with foreign driving licenses will be able to apply for a local one through a separate process, which will also assess their driving skills.
“It is no secret that many women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hold driving licenses from abroad,” the statement added.
Saudi women have previously petitioned the government for the lifting of the ban, and even taken to the wheel in protest.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is seen as the force behind the lifting of the ban, part of a series of reforms being pushed by the powerful royal in the conservative kingdom.
His Vision 2030 reform plan for a post-oil era seeks to elevate women to nearly one-third of the workforce, up from about 22 percent now.
The decision to allow women to drive could give them the much-needed mobility to join the workforce.
Saudi women now no longer need male permission to start business.
But Saudi activists say social change will only be cosmetic without dismantling the kingdom’s rigid guardianship system, which requires women to seek permission from a male relative to study, travel and other activities.
Saudi Arabia on schedule to lift driving ban on women as planned on June 24
Saudi Arabia on schedule to lift driving ban on women as planned on June 24
- Women 18 years of age and older will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license
- Driving schools for women have been set up across five cities in the kingdom
8 NGOs join Saudi Arabia’s national vegetation drive
- The center continues to promote collaboration across sectors to expand environmental awareness and advance sustainability goals through knowledge exchange
RIYADH: The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has signed memoranda of understanding with several nonprofit environmental associations to strengthen partnerships with the nonprofit sector in advancing national goals for environmental sustainability.
The MoUs were signed with eight associations: Al-Nakaa Association, Lavender Society, Darb Hiking Trails and Walking Trips Association, Hail Agriculture Development Association, Yanbu Environmental Association, Rifaq Environment Association (Hail), Aghsan Environmental Association, and Pristine Future Environment Association.
The center said cooperation with the nonprofit sector enhances volunteer and community initiatives and maximizes environmental and social impact across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The agreements are part of a broader cooperation framework covering afforestation and land rehabilitation projects, nature-based tourism support, expertise exchange, capacity building through training, and community environmental awareness.
The center continues to promote collaboration across sectors to expand environmental awareness and advance sustainability goals through knowledge exchange, coordinated community efforts, joint outreach programs, and initiatives supporting national environmental objectives.
