Social Development Law No. 4 of 2024

This Law consisting of 28 artciles has been developed by the Ministry of Social Development with the aim of (i) improving the quality of life for the targeted categories of citizens by providing them with protection and care services in a participatory and fair manner, ensuring the preservation of their human rights and maintaining their privacy; (ii) upgrading social services and moving them from the care aspect to the development and empowerment aspect and enhancing productivity; (iii) spreading the culture of social solidarity and voluntary and charitable work; (iv) promoting the values of social responsibility and encouraging the private sector to participate in achieving sustainable social development. The Ministry is responsible for achieving the targets through several key functions, including (i) formulating social policies and strategies to enhance protection, care, and social development systems; (ii) contributing to the delivery of social protection and development services, ensuring support for target groups, and coordinating efforts to prevent service duplication; (iii) overseeing licensed institutions, regulating social responsibility initiatives, and maintaining specialized databases on target groups and services; (iv) coordinating with relevant entities to monitor and address negative social phenomena; (v) establishing and licensing institutions that provide services to target groups; (vi) supporting local community development to raise social, economic, and cultural awareness; (vii) cooperating with local, regional, and international organizations, including entering agreements with relevant bodies; (viii) drafting relevant legislation and digitizing protection, care, and productivity services provided by the Ministry.
Under Article 6, providing protection and care services to specified groups without a license from the Ministry is prohibited. These groups include individuals in need of protection and care, the elderly and the homeless, persons with disabilities, victims of domestic violence and at-risk women, as well as victims of human trafficking. The Ministry is working to combat begging in all its forms and methods. Article 12 establishes that a Social Protection and Care Fund shall be established in the Ministry, which shall provide financial support for the social protection and care programmes provided by the Ministry.