Institutional evolution of Saudi Arabia’s foreign aid: roles, responsibilities, and shifts in governmental entities

Fahad Albylwi

Third World Quarterly, 2025, vol. 46, issue 4, 412-428

Abstract: In the existing research on Saudi foreign aid motivations, the roles of specific aid agencies remain insufficiently addressed. This study identifies and clarifies the roles of key Saudi entities involved in foreign aid, highlighting the gradual evolution of their responsibilities. Key actors include the Saudi Fund for Development, Ministry of Education, and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief). This study further examines the shifting landscape of Saudi aid, including the transition of responsibilities between ministries, such as the transfer of charity aid duties from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saudi aid is categorised into five types: general humanitarian aid, development assistance, charity aid, volunteer humanitarian aid, and aid for refugees. The analysis reveals patterns in funding allocation across sectors, with KSRelief emerging as the dominant provider. It also explores how Saudi aid adapts to the specific needs of recipient countries, including specialised initiatives, such as the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. The findings indicate that Saudi Arabia’s foreign aid entities are undergoing change, becoming more organised, and clearly defining the responsibilities of each entity.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/01436597.2025.2487809 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:ctwqxx:v:46:y:2025:i:4:p:412-428

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/ctwq20

DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2025.2487809

Access Statistics for this article

Third World Quarterly is currently edited by Shahid Qadir

More articles in Third World Quarterly from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().