• The following terms and words - wherever they appear in this Statute - shall have the meanings indicated next to them, unless the context requires otherwise:

• 1- Center: The Support Center for Development Authorities and Strategic Offices.

• 2- Statute: The Statute of the Center.

• 3- Council: The Board of Directors of the Center.

• 4- President: The President of the Board.

• 5- Chief Executive: The Chief Executive Officer of the Center.

• 6- Development Authorities: The Regional and Urban Development Authorities.

• 7- Strategic Offices: The Strategic Offices for Regional and Urban Development.

The center enjoys public legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and is organizationally linked to the President of the Council of Ministers. Its main headquarters is in the city of Riyadh, and it may establish branches or offices within the Kingdom as needed.

• The center aims to advance all activities of development authorities and strategic offices, elevate the work, services, and projects they provide to develop regions and cities, and contribute to achieving excellence in the performance of the roles and responsibilities of development authorities and strategic offices. This is achieved by providing comprehensive support for planning and development work in urban, demographic, economic, developmental, social, cultural, environmental, transportation, infrastructure, and digital infrastructure fields. The center undertakes, without prejudice to the competencies and responsibilities of other entities, the following tasks and competencies:

  • 1- Organizing, coordinating, and achieving integration among development authorities and strategic offices, and monitoring the work they provide.

  • 2-Establishing foundations and unifying the reference framework in preparing urban codes for various regions and cities across the Kingdom.

  • 3- Working on urban planning and design, capacity building, and developing urban guides and standards.

  • 4- Coordinating with government entities regarding providing support to development authorities and strategic offices to perform their roles and responsibilities.

  • 5- Supporting development authorities and strategic offices in developing key performance indicators for planning and development, enabling them to effectively use these indicators to monitor progress in their planning and development.

  • 6- Supervising the development of capabilities and capacities of development authorities and strategic offices, and providing the necessary support for that.

  • 7- Supervising the preparation of strategic plans and visions for development authorities and strategic offices to ensure their alignment with each other, and providing the necessary support for that; in coordination with relevant entities.

  • 8- Establishing frameworks and internal governance models for development authorities and strategic offices, and supervising their implementation.

  • 9- Aligning the plans, visions, and strategic directions of development authorities and strategic offices with the Kingdom’s Vision and its programs, through the center’s coordination with relevant entities.

  • 10- Managing the affairs of development authorities and strategic offices during their establishment period in agreement with them according to the relevant statutory procedures.

  • 11- Studying developmental topics referred to it related to development authorities and strategic offices, and proposing necessary solutions and recommendations.

  • 12- Preparing studies and research related to the work of the center and development authorities and strategic offices.

  • 13- Cooperating with regional and international organizations, similar entities in other countries, and local, regional, and international research and consultancy bodies, within the scope of the center’s work and according to the applicable statutory procedures.

  • 14- Organizing exhibitions, conferences, and workshops related to the center’s competencies, in accordance with the applicable statutory procedures.

  • 15- Concluding agreements and memoranda of understanding related to the center’s work, in accordance with the applicable statutory procedures.

  • 16- Participating in representing the Kingdom in organizations, bodies, forums, and regional and international conferences related to the center’s work, in coordination with relevant entities.

• 1- The center shall have a Board of Directors composed of a President appointed by an order from the President of the Council of Ministers, and membership of each of the following:

  • A- A representative from the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

  • B- A representative from the Ministry of Municipal and Housing Affairs.

  • C- A representative from the Ministry of Finance.

  • D- A representative from the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services.

  • E- The Chief Executive Officer.

• 2- The rank of the representatives of the government entities referred to in paragraph (1) of this article shall not be less than the fifteenth rank or its equivalent.

• 3- The President shall select a Deputy from among the members, excluding the Chief Executive Officer.

• The Council shall supervise the management of the Center's affairs and conduct its matters, and shall take all necessary decisions to achieve its objectives within the limits stipulated by the statute, and it shall have, in particular, the following:

  • 1- Approving the general policies of the Center and the plans and programs necessary for their implementation.

  • 2- Proposing draft laws related to the Center's competencies, and proposing amendments to the applicable ones.

  • 3- Determining the financial consideration for the services and works provided by the Center that the Council deems appropriate to charge for.

  • 4- Approving the Center's draft budget, its final account, the report of its auditors, and its annual report; in preparation for submitting them according to the statutory procedures.

  • 5- Approving the administrative and financial regulations governing the Center and other internal and technical regulations necessary for managing its affairs, provided that the approval of the administrative regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the approval of the financial regulations and provisions with financial impact in other regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

  • 6- Approving the organizational structure and organizational manual of the Center.

  • 7- Approving the establishment of branches or offices of the Center.

  • 8- Appointing an external auditor and an internal financial controller.

  • 9- Reviewing periodic reports on the progress of work.

  • 10- Approving the conclusion of agreements and contracts, in accordance with the applicable statutory procedures.

  • 11- Approving the acceptance of donations, gifts, grants, wills, and endowments presented to the Center, in accordance with the governing provisions. The Council may form permanent or temporary committees from among its members or others, entrusted with tasks it deems appropriate, and the decision forming each committee shall specify its chairperson, members, and competencies. The committee may seek assistance from whomever it deems necessary to perform the assigned tasks. The Council may delegate some of its competencies—except for the competencies listed in paragraphs (1) and (3) and (4) and (5) and (6) and (7) and (8) and (9) of this article—to the President or to whomever it deems from its members, or the CEO, or whomever it deems from the Center’s employees, according to what the workflow requires.

• 1- The Council meetings shall be held at the Center's headquarters under the chairmanship of the President or his deputy. If necessary, they may be held at another location within the Kingdom or through the use of official technical means.

• 2- The Council shall hold its meetings regularly at least four times a year, and whenever necessary. The President may call for a meeting whenever needed or upon the request of at least one-third of the members. The invitation to the meeting shall be sent by the President in writing at least seven days before the meeting date, and the invitation must include the agenda.

• 3- The Council meeting shall be valid if attended by the majority of the members, including the President or his deputy. Decisions shall be issued by the majority of the votes of those present. In the event of a tie, the side voted for by the Chairman of the meeting shall prevail.

• 4- The Council's deliberations and decisions shall be recorded in minutes signed by the Chairman of the meeting and the attending members.

• 5- A Council member shall not abstain from voting, nor delegate another member to vote on his behalf in his absence. The objecting member may record his objection and the reasons for it in the Council meeting minutes.

• 6- The Council may, when necessary, issue a decision by circulation. In this case, the vote of all Council members on the decision is required, and the decision shall be presented to the Council at the first subsequent meeting to be recorded in the meeting minutes.

• 7- A Council member shall not disclose any of the Center's secrets he has become aware of due to his membership in the Council, even after the expiration of his membership.

• 8- The Council shall have a secretary from the Center’s staff, chosen by the President based on a nomination from the Executive President. The secretary shall be responsible for the Council’s secretariat, preparing meetings, and recording minutes, deliberations, and decisions.

• 9- The Council may invite specialists and consultants it deems necessary to attend its meetings, without granting them voting rights.

• The center shall have a Chief Executive Officer who is appointed and relieved by a decision of the Council. The decision shall determine his salary and other financial benefits, provided that it does not conflict with the relevant laws and decisions. He shall be the primary person responsible for managing the center, and his responsibilities shall be concentrated within the limits stipulated by the statute and as decided by the Council. In particular, he shall directly exercise the following powers:

  • 1- Proposing the center’s general policies, the necessary plans and programs for their implementation, submitting them to the Council for approval, and supervising their implementation after approval.

  • 2- Supervising the preparation of the center’s draft budget, draft final account, and annual report; in preparation for presenting them to the Council.

  • 3- Proposing the center’s administrative and financial regulations, and other internal regulations for managing the center’s affairs, and submitting them to the Council for approval.

  • 4- Proposing the center’s organizational structure and its manual, and submitting them to the Council for approval.

  • 5- Supervising the preparation of reports related to the implementation of the center’s plans and programs, and presenting them to the Council.

  • 6- Supervising the workflow in the center according to the powers granted to him and as determined by the regulations.

  • 7- Following up on the implementation of decisions issued by the Council and decisions related to the center’s work.

  • 8- Submitting proposals and recommendations to the Council regarding matters within his jurisdiction.

  • 9- Signing agreements and contracts after the Council’s approval, in accordance with the applicable procedural regulations.

  • 10- Appointing and supervising the employees of the center, in accordance with what is determined by the regulations.

  • 11- Disbursing from the center’s budget and taking all financial procedures, in accordance with the laws and regulations, and within the powers delegated to him by the Council.

  • 12- Contracting with experts and consultants within the center’s objectives, and in accordance with what is determined by the regulations.

  • 13- Representing the center before the judiciary, government agencies, institutions, authorities, other related centers, and other entities inside and outside the Kingdom, and he may delegate others to do so.

  • 14- Any other task assigned to him by the Council.

• The Chief Executive Officer may delegate some of his powers to whomever he deems appropriate from the center’s staff.

The center's personnel are subject to the Labor Law and the Social Insurance Law.

1- The center shall have an independent annual budget.

2- The fiscal year of the center shall be the fiscal year of the state.