Saudi Arabia discloses a national plan to fight poverty
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 2/8/2003

Saudi Arabia, the largest exporter and producer of oil in the world, has disclosed a national plan to fight poverty in the Kingdom.

The Saudi minister of social affairs Ali al-Namla said in statements quoted by the Saudi official TV on the foundation of a Fund to this effect to help the poor in the Kingdom.

Al-Namla indicated that a team was formed and given a two year period, including representatives for the ministries of finance, the interior, planning and social affairs as well as the charity organizations and the private sector in order to complete the plan and establish a comprehensive data base about poverty in the kingdom aiming at ultimately eliminating poverty from the Saudi society.

According to the Saudi minister, the team was assigned to define the poverty level line in Saudi Arabia as a first step and the possible means to make every and each Saudi family over this line.

However, this Saudi step has come following a first visit of its kind made in November, 2002 by the Saudi Crown prince Abdullah to the poor quarters in the capital Riyadh.

Minister al-Namla explained that the visit of the Saudi crown prince which was shown by the Saudi TV came following a decision taken by the Saudi leadership to deal with this issue openly. Al-Namla gave no certain figures on the number of the poor in the kingdom but he admitted that certain Saudi families are living under poverty lines.

Several rich Saudi businessmen gave donations for the poverty Fund, including prince al-Walid Bin Talal who vowed to give donations for 10,000 families during the decade.

Worthy mentioning that Saudi Arabia depends at 80% of its income on oil revenues of which it produces 8.6 million barrels daily. During the two last decades Saudi Arabia was able to achieve a surplus for only one time in its general budget, which has suffered a lot from deficit. This only budget surplus was due to the increase in oil price in 2000 that reached USD 6 billion.

However, Saudi Arabia whose population accounts 17 million, is under a general debt of 173 billion dollars and a growth rate which reached during the two past decades 1.8% against an annual population growth of 3.2%.

Last Sunday Riyadh decided to reduce the number of working foreigners to 20% for the number of population during the next 10 years in order to create job opportunities for the Saudis. Number of foreigners in the Kingdom is estimated at 6 to 7 million persons.

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