“Community Development” has restricted it to licensed institutions and entities

Banning fundraising advertisements... and conditions for food and drug donations

The Ministry of Community Development has identified two basic criteria for legal accountability for violating the law regulating fundraising, namely, announcing its collection through various means of publication, and not specifying the beneficiary of the donation.

She stressed that it is not permissible to collect any sums of money in the name of donations, under any circumstances.

And the prohibition of collecting food or medicinal samples, except in accordance with the conditions of the law, such as their validity period of no less than six months from the date of their receipt, and ensuring their transportation and storage in conditions that ensure their preservation, pointing out that the collection of funds must be through institutions and licensed bodies, whose names were announced on the ministry's website.

The Minister of Community Development, Hessa Buhumaid, told "Emirates Today", during a media briefing held at the "Expo 2020 Dubai" website, yesterday, to introduce the details and provisions of the law regulating fundraising, that individuals have the right to collect specific amounts for the purpose of helping a family member or co-worker. Within the well-known social solidarity etiquette and behavior, however, no individual or entity has the right to organize a donation campaign, and announce it within the various communication channels, pointing out that this constitutes a violation of the fundraising system.

She stressed the role of the law in protecting individuals and society from crimes committed in the name of humanitarian duty, and providing support to those in need, especially in light of the fact that a number of citizens have been subjected to fraud during the past years, because of their sympathy with untrue and illegal humanitarian appeals.

And she added, "Providing financial assistance with known objectives, directed to specific family members or colleagues, is an understandable matter within the culture and customs prevailing in society, but it becomes a crime punishable by law once it is announced within a fundraising campaign, regardless of any declared reason related to it." By building a hospital, a school, a mosque, or any other reason.”

Hessa bint Issa Buhumaid continued that the law, which constitutes a safe and stimulating framework for honest and sound humanitarian and community giving, aims to regulate donations, protect donor funds, and ensure and achieve that donations and aid reach those who deserve it.

Buhumaid called on individual donors to ensure that the authorities authorized to collect, receive and provide donations, including charities, federal, local and private bodies and institutions, whose establishment laws, decrees or decisions allow them to collect, receive and provide donations, which the Ministry approved to play this role, provided that the update continues The approved bodies and associations in the light of a classification mechanism that the Ministry is currently working on to establish to license more bodies.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development Affairs in the Ministry, Hessa Tahlak, told "Emirates Today" that the law allows the collection of in-kind food or pharmaceutical donations, provided that they do not violate the specifications specified in the legislation in force in the country, as the law stipulates that the validity of the samples must be ensured for a period of time. It shall not be less than six months when handing it over to the donor, and it must be ensured that the samples can be transported and stored in a manner that ensures their safety and suitability for consumption and use.

Tahlak added that it is also prohibited for the licensed and authorized entities to accept, transfer, preserve or provide in-kind food or drug donations to be presented within the country, which violates the specifications specified in the applicable legislation, and the authorized and authorized entities may not accept any in-kind food or drug donations. To be distributed outside the country, except in accordance with a set of requirements.

As for the role and oversight mechanism that ensures the application of the law and adherence to the conditions for collecting donations, Tahlak confirmed that the ministry is in the process of launching a smart system to monitor and audit donation operations, to determine the extent to which the licensed authorities adhere to the procedures followed in their implementation.

Entities authorized to donate

The number of agencies currently licensed to collect donations in the country, which can be defined as those whose laws, decrees or decisions establishing them allow them to collect, receive and provide donations, is about 50, which are listed on the Ministry of Community Development website.

The list of those entities includes:Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Works, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Ma’an Community Contributions Authority, Emirates Water Authority, Noor Dubai Foundation, Dubai Cares Foundation, Al Jalila Foundation, Dar Al Ber Society, The Beit Al Khair Society, the Dubai Charitable Society, the Compassion Charity Foundation, the Sharjah Charity Society, the Sharjah Charity House Foundation, the Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi Charitable Foundation, the International Charitable Organization, the Al Ihsan Charitable Society, the Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla Foundation for Humanitarian and Charitable Works, and Umm Al Quwain Society Charity, the Saqr bin Muhammad Al Qasimi Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Educational Charitable Foundation, the Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Foundation for Humanitarian Works, the Fujairah Charitable Society, in addition to some government agencies and bodies, such as the Zakat Fund, the Endowments and Minors Affairs Foundation, and the Abu Dhabi Shelter Center victims of violence and human trafficking,and Khalifa University.

sanctions

The law stipulates the punishment of imprisonment and a fine of no less than 200,000 dirhams and not more than 500,000 dirhams, or one of the two penalties, for anyone who commits any act while collecting, accepting or making donations that harms public order, national security, or public morals. Or encourage any sectarian, ethnic, racial, religious, cultural, or any illegal purpose, in accordance with the legislation in force in the country, and the penalty is doubled in case of recurrence.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news