The Ministerial Committee on Restructuring the Presidency of the General Intelligence in Saudi Arabia has approved the creation of new departments for strategy and development, legal affairs, and performance appraisal.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the ministerial committee - chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - said the three new administrations would ensure that intelligence operations were in line with national security strategy, international law, and human rights treaties.
A statement said the ministerial committee held several meetings to assess the current situation and identify gaps in the organizational structure, policies, procedures, governance, legal frameworks, and rehabilitation mechanisms, and recommended short, medium and long-term development solutions within the General Intelligence Presidency Development Program.
It also approved urgent solutions, including the creation of a general strategy and development department, to ensure that the operations were commensurate with the presidential and the national security strategies, as well as the establishment of a general department for legal review of intelligence operations in accordance with international laws and covenants and human rights.
The statement added that a general department for performance evaluation and internal review was established to evaluate operations, verify their compliance with the approved procedures, and report to the General Intelligence president.
The committee also decided to activate the Intelligence Activity Committee and develop a task mechanism, which aims to conduct preliminary reviews and select competent individuals.
“The Kingdom declares that it will continue the development and governance of its institutions as part of its strategy to develop the government system, especially the security and intelligence agencies, in pursuit of achieving best international practices,” the committee said, as reported by the SPA.
“Given its leading role in the Arab and Muslim world and globally, the Kingdom, thereby, emphasizes that it will continue to fulfill its goals both at the local and international levels,” it added.
