Jeddah (UNA) – Dr. Samer Al-Jutaili, the official spokesperson for the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, explained that Islamic Sharia has established an integrated system to protect human dignity and preserve human rights.
At the beginning of his speech during the Ramadan evening held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, corresponding to Ramadan 16, 1447 AH, via Zoom, entitled “Humanitarian work as a tool to promote human rights and the values of coexistence and tolerance,” he expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission and to the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for organizing the evening, stressing the importance of promoting dialogue on the role of humanitarian work in supporting human rights and consolidating the values of coexistence among peoples.
He explained that Islamic law has established rulings that preserve human rights in his religion, life, property, honor, and mind, and has been keen to protect them from violation, coupled with deterrent penalties that are appropriate to different times and places. This is also what the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has emphasized, based on the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.
He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given great attention to working in the field of human rights, as it established an independent governmental body concerned with promoting and protecting these rights, through supporting the development of systems related to them, monitoring their implementation, and spreading societal awareness of their importance.
He added that the Kingdom has made human rights the starting point for the work of its various institutions, most notably the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, which works in cooperation with United Nations organizations and international and local non-profit organizations in beneficiary countries, and bases its work on a set of values and principles, most notably providing aid without discrimination, purely humanitarian work, strengthening international partnerships, and adhering to international standards in implementing relief programs, in addition to embodying humanitarian values based on goodness, tolerance and cooperation.
He explained that the volume of humanitarian aid provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the world since its founding by King Abdulaziz has exceeded 544 billion Saudi riyals (more than 145 billion dollars), covering 48 humanitarian and development sectors, and benefiting more than 175 countries around the world in cooperation with 499 international partners.
He pointed out that the Kingdom, in its relief and humanitarian work, is keen to achieve a balance between emergency response to disasters and crises, such as wars, earthquakes and floods, and long-term quality programs that contribute to achieving humanitarian sustainability, most notably the Saudi program for conjoined twins, which is a leading humanitarian model at the global level.
He pointed out that Saudi humanitarian work pays great attention to promoting volunteer work, as it has provided an opportunity for those wishing to volunteer from Saudis and residents of various nationalities to participate in relief and humanitarian programs according to their specializations and experiences, through the Saudi portal for external volunteering, which was launched under the slogan: “Volunteer with us… to make an impact.”
He explained that the number of volunteer programs implemented by the King Salman Relief Center exceeded 1300 volunteer programs in various countries around the world, benefiting more than 2.6 million people, and included the implementation of more than 265 surgical operations, while the number of those registered in the Saudi portal for external volunteering exceeded 83 volunteers.
He stressed that humanitarian work represents a noble mission that contributes to alleviating suffering and achieving a balance of living for needy groups around the world, emphasizing that all divine laws have honored human beings, which necessitates adherence to the principle of non-discrimination in providing humanitarian aid.
He added that humanitarian work based on non-discrimination contributes to promoting security, stability and comprehensive development, especially when it is based on an accurate assessment of humanitarian needs and the prioritization of response, far removed from any ethnic or political considerations.
He also pointed out that humanitarian work is characterized by its ability to intervene in multiple sectors defined by international standards, such as food security, water, shelter, health and other vital sectors that directly affect human life.
Dr. Samer Al-Jatili called for continued institutional efforts to promote humanitarian work and coordinate international initiatives to extend a helping hand to those in need around the world, stressing that joint cooperation between countries and organizations contributes to consolidating peaceful coexistence and achieving stability and development for the peoples of the world.
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