Volunteer work system in Saudi Arabia

Volunteer work system in Saudi Arabia

Volunteering is one of the noble humanitarian acts that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to organize and develop due to its importance in discovering and developing volunteers’ skills, gaining experience, and exchanging knowledge between volunteers.

Volunteer work in Saudi Arabia is regulated through the Volunteer Work System and its executive regulations, which stipulate the definition of volunteer work and its conditions, the obligations and rights of both the volunteer and the party benefiting from the work, and cases of termination of volunteer work.

What is volunteer work?

Volunteer work is any effort or work provided by a natural or legal person voluntarily and voluntarily out of a desire to serve and develop society.

The volunteer performs volunteer work announced by the entity benefiting from volunteer work, such as the government or private sector or non-profit sector organizations, in accordance with conditions and controls determined by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to prevent the exploitation of volunteers.

The volunteer work system aims to:

• Spreading the culture of volunteer work among members of Saudi society.
• Regulating the relationship between volunteer work parties and defining their rights and duties.
• Promoting national values, humanitarian work, and social responsibility among citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia.
• Developing volunteers’ capabilities and training them.

What are the conditions for volunteer work?

A volunteer wishing to practice volunteer work, whether an individual, volunteer team, institution or company, is required to meet the following conditions:

• The volunteer must be at least 18 years old.
• To be a resident of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• The volunteer institution or company must be officially registered in accordance with Saudi regulations.
• He must not have been sentenced by a judicial ruling or have a legal impediment preventing him from practicing volunteer work.

What are the types of volunteering in Saudi Arabia?

What are the types of volunteering in Saudi Arabia?

There are many areas of volunteer work in Saudi Arabia, including the following:

• Technical, technical and engineering.
• Seha.
• Financial and legal.
• Administrative and training.
• Sports, entertainment and culture.
• Psychological and social.
• Religious, such as serving the guests of God in Mecca and Medina.
• Organizational.
• Relief during emergencies, crises and disasters.

How many hours are required for volunteer work?

The executive regulations of the volunteer work system stipulate that a government employee’s volunteer hours must not exceed 165 hours per month.

As for non-employees, the hours of a volunteer not employed by government agencies must not exceed 100 hours per month.

Does volunteer work have a salary?

Volunteer work is characterized as free donation with the aim of serving and developing the community and enabling the volunteer to gain diverse experiences that add to his or her expertise and experience. The system allows the beneficiary to provide incentives to volunteers that do not conflict with the essence and values of volunteering.

What are the rights and obligations of a volunteer?

What are the rights and obligations of a volunteer?

Volunteer rights

• Volunteers have the right to apply for all volunteer opportunities available to beneficiaries if they meet all the requirements for volunteer work through the Ministry of Labor and Social Development’s volunteer platform.
• Knowing the beneficiary with whom he will volunteer and its procedures for volunteer work, such as violations and penalties, and the mechanism for submitting complaints and compensation.
• Know the nature of the work and the support allocated to it.
• Obtaining the necessary resources to carry out volunteer work, such as equipment, tools, clothing, housing, transportation, etc.
• Obtaining the necessary training from the beneficiary to perform volunteer work at the required level.
• Maintaining the confidentiality of the volunteer’s personal data.
• Compensation for any expenses incurred during work.
• Obtaining a volunteer and experience certificate that includes the following information:
  • The name of the completed volunteer opportunity.
    • Duration of completion of the work.
      • Volunteer hours.
        • Describe the experience gained.
• The environment must be safe for volunteer work.
• The right to treatment if he is injured while performing volunteer work or while going to work.

Volunteer obligations

• Adhering to the morals and etiquette required for volunteer work.
• Performing volunteer work with perfection, integrity and honesty.
• Follow the regulations, instructions and controls of the entity benefiting from volunteer work.
• Not to disclose any secrets related to his volunteer work.
• Preserving the received covenant devices and tools and returning them to the entity after completing the work.
• Not to declare or provide information about the beneficiary entity in any media outlet without obtaining written approval from the entity.
• Not to collect or receive money or donations in any way.

What are the obligations of the entity providing volunteer opportunities?

• Commitment to the Code of Ethics for Volunteer Work 
• Protecting volunteer workers and observing safety measures.
• Providing the necessary resources to manage and supervise volunteer work and volunteers.
• Spreading the culture of volunteer work among the region’s employees, especially on national and international occasions and days.
• Design volunteer opportunities that suit her needs and are consistent with her development goals.
• Volunteer opportunity tasks should be appropriate for volunteers to perform, taking into account age, physical and psychological makeup.
• Attracting volunteers through the National Platform for Volunteer Work.
• Providing the necessary support to volunteers.
• Commitment to compensate the volunteer in the event of injury or compensate his heirs in the event of death.
• Commitment not to exploit volunteers by:
  • Not laying off employees and replacing them with volunteers to carry out their tasks.
    • Volunteers are not promised employment after completing a specified period of volunteer work.
      • Do not assign the volunteer to carry out the tasks of an employee.
        • Commitment to announcing official job vacancies and not assigning volunteers to carry out job tasks instead of hiring.

When does volunteer work end?

The volunteer work relationship between the volunteer and the beneficiary ends in one of the following cases:

• The volunteer completes the work and obtains a volunteer work certificate.
• The beneficiary cancels the volunteer opportunity before it is completed.
• The volunteer may inform the beneficiary of his desire not to complete the volunteer work.
• The volunteer’s employer terminates his dedication to volunteer work.

How do I register on the volunteer work platform in the Kingdom?

The National Platform for Volunteer Work, affiliated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, provides a service for registering volunteers and viewing and applying for volunteer opportunities offered by beneficiaries by following the following steps:

• Log in to the National Volunteer Work Platform through the National Unified Access Account.
• Review the volunteer opportunities available according to the areas described on the website’s home page.
• Choose the right volunteer opportunity.
• Click “Join the volunteer opportunity for individual volunteers”
• The beneficiary reviews volunteer applications and responds with acceptance or rejection.

If you encounter any legal problem related to your rights as a volunteer or your regular obligations, the office of Lawyer Abdul Majeed Al Rashid allows you to contact licensed lawyers to provide legal advice on:

• Volunteers’ rights and regulatory obligations.
• Drafting and reviewing volunteer contracts and agreements.
• Handling complaints and grievances with beneficiaries.
• Clarifying the legal responsibilities resulting from volunteer work.