Saudi rights chief receives head of EU delegation

Saudi human rights chief Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, right, receives Patrick Simonnet, head of the EU delegation to the Kingdom in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Updated 23 September 2020
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Saudi rights chief receives head of EU delegation

  • Several initiatives have been launched that have helped boost the country’s international ranking in human rights reports

RIYADH: Patrick Simonnet, head of the EU delegation to Saudi Arabia, called on Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, at his office in Riyadh on Tuesday. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the EU in the fields of human rights. 

Praising the depth of bilateral relations, they discussed ways to boost ties. 

Al-Awwad highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts, under the leadership of the king and crown prince, in supporting human rights. He pointed to developments in the Kingdom and pioneering steps toward achieving sustainable development on making human beings the focus of development in accordance with Vision 2030, which aims to achieve the overall development of a better future for the country.

Several initiatives have been launched that have helped boost the country’s international ranking in human rights reports, including one on human trafficking published by the US State Department.

In addition, a World Bank report titled “Women, Business and the Law 2020” ranked the Kingdom first out of 190 countries in terms of progress and reforms in the field of the empowerment of women and the preservation
of their rights.


King Abdullah Humanitarian Foundation donates SR20m to charity

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King Abdullah Humanitarian Foundation donates SR20m to charity

RIYADH: The King Abdullah Humanitarian Foundation has announced a donation of SR20 million ($5.3 million) through the national charity platform Ehsan.

KAHF’s donation will go toward supporting development projects, sustainable community initiatives and humanitarian projects in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Its donation was part of the sixth National Campaign for Charitable Work, which runs annually through the month of Ramadan.

Dr. Abdulaziz bin Fahad Al-Anqari, CEO of the foundation, said: “The foundation’s participation through the Ehsan platform comes as a confirmation of the importance of integrating national efforts in enhancing the impact of humanitarian work.”

He added that the participation was “based on the foundation’s commitment to supporting sustainable development solutions, toward achieving societal stability, enhancing empowerment opportunities for the most needy groups and enhancing their quality of life.”

The foundation is inspired in its initiatives by the approach of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Al-Anqari said, in consolidating humanitarian work and serving society.

The foundation continues to implement its humanitarian programs and initiatives inside the Kingdom and abroad.

It has contributed through its various projects to serving more than 42 million beneficiaries in 17 countries through humanitarian, developmental and community work.

The Ehsan platform successfully raised more than SR4.5 billion for charity in 2025 alone.

More than 330 million donations made on the platform over the past five years added up to a total of SR14 billion, officials revealed in the run-up to Ramadan.

In addition, the Jood Eskan platform that helps low-income families to secure housing has raised SR5 billion from 4.5 million donors since its launch in 2019.

The platform uses advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence to verify beneficiary eligibility and prevent duplication of support, and donations can be completed in less than five seconds.