المملكة: Banning misleading names… 10 controls for naming associations, civil society organizations, and funds

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has issued a new guide that specifies the foundations and principles for choosing association names and NGOs and family and private funds, with the aim of strengthening the organization of the non-profit sector and ensuring that the names are consistent with the vision and objectives of each entity.

The guide aims to clarify the basic guidelines that must be followed when choosing the names of associations, private foundations, and family and private funds, in a way that contributes to facilitating the acceptance of applications and avoiding their rejection for reasons related to naming.

This guide applies to all relevant associations, institutions and funds, while specifying the necessary criteria to ensure the clarity of the name and its indication of the nature of the entity’s activity.

Name controls

The guide specified a set of principles that must be taken into account when choosing names, the most prominent of which are: that the name clearly expresses the nature of the entity’s activity, that it be unique and not duplicated, and that it performs a semantic function that explains the entity’s message and goals.

It is prohibited for the name to contain any insult to religion or that is contrary to public order or public morals, or logos, flags and symbols associated with the Kingdom or any countries or international organizations without official permission.
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The guide prohibits the use of the names of regions, cities, and tribes except for the purposes of geographically identifying the scope served by the entity. It also prohibits names that may mislead the public or are similar to the names of government agencies or their services, and sets special conditions when naming institutions after a person, such that the name must be triple and the person must be alive or obtain the approval of the heirs in the event of death.

The guide confirmed that the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development is the body concerned with supervising the implementation of its provisions, and has the right to review the guide. And amend it whenever necessary, to ensure its continued effectiveness and compatibility with the objectives of developing the non-profit sector and protecting the rights of concerned parties.

The guide is based on the system of civil society associations and institutions issued by Royal Decree No. “M/8” dated 2/19/1437 AH, and the organization of the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development issued by Cabinet Resolution No. “618” dated 10/20/1442 AH, in addition to the executive regulations of the law of civil society organizations and foundations issued By decision of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development No. “Q/2022/1/2” dated 3/22/1444 AH, with its amendments.

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