New terms and conditions for accredited observer rewards from the Ministry of Municipalities
The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing announced significant updates to the mechanisms for awarding financial prizes under the "Certified Monitor" initiative. The Ministry established seven strict guidelines aimed at regulating the reporting of municipal violations, ensuring efficient community oversight and improving the urban landscape in Saudi cities.
Strict controls and mandatory training
In a move aimed at improving the quality of reports and avoiding randomness, the Ministry stipulated that, as a fundamental criterion for receiving the reward, the reporter must complete the "certified training" designed for community monitors. This training aims to ensure that the monitor is familiar with municipal regulations and bylaws, enabling them to identify and accurately document genuine violations. The regulations also emphasized that the report must contribute directly and effectively to uncovering and proving the violation, and not merely submit a general complaint.
Banning employees and relatives to ensure integrity
To reinforce the principle of transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, the new regulations include a comprehensive ban preventing specific categories from receiving the bonus. This ban includes:
- Employees of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
- Employees of the secretariats and sub-municipalities.
- Employees of monitoring and inspection companies contracted with the ministry.
- First-degree relatives of all the above-mentioned categories.
This measure is intended to ensure the neutrality of reports and the integrity of monitoring processes, and to emphasize that the initiative is directed towards the general public and not towards specialists or beneficiaries by virtue of their jobs.
Bonus eligibility criteria and disbursement mechanism
The ministry clarified that the integrity of the whistleblower's record is a fundamental requirement; their record must be completely free of any previous malicious or fabricated reports. It also established specific criteria for the reported case, most notably:
- The violation must not be fabricated for the purpose of financial gain.
- The same violation must not have been previously detected by other regulatory bodies or other monitors.
- Submitting a formal request for the reward within the specified time period after the violation has become final and the period for the violator to object has expired.
Context of the initiative and the goals of Vision 2030
The “Certified Observer” initiative comes within a broader context aligned with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 , specifically the “Quality of Life” program. Through these initiatives, the Kingdom seeks to eliminate visual pollution and improve the urban landscape, which will positively impact the overall environment and the investment and tourism attractiveness of cities.
Community participation is a cornerstone of the digital transformation of the municipal sector, with the "Baladi" application contributing to transforming citizens and residents from service recipients to active partners in monitoring and development. Empowering the community to report violations not only alleviates the burden on official inspectors but also strengthens the sense of national responsibility towards public property and vital facilities.
Expected impact of the new regulations
These new regulations are expected to reduce the number of inaccurate or malicious reports that have been an operational burden on municipalities, and to direct efforts toward addressing genuine and impactful violations. Furthermore, the training requirement will create a pool of qualified inspectors with legal and technical awareness of the different types of violations, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of the municipal oversight system.
