The Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia has relayed to the Filipino community the Saudi government’s ground rules for holding events within its premises. In an advisory, the embassy said such events should not be exploited as to lead to a breach of public order. The women and students invited to the event should also have legal guardians, the embassy said. “The Embassy is certain that the Saudi (MFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) recognizes the Embassy’s right and immunity to hold activities within its premises," the embassy said in an advisory posted on its website. Nevertheless, the Embassy also has the obligation under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation to respect the laws, customs and traditions of the host country," " the embassy added. "Thus, the cooperation of all Filipino associations is highly requested to comply with the abovementioned regulations of the Saudi MFA," the embassy said. Note Verbale The advisory was based on the Saudi MFA’s Note Verbale No. 93/82/5/1/355364 dated October 20 last year, which issued new regulations, procedures, and conditions. The conditions covered activities held in cooperation with the diplomatic missions (embassies) or international organizations, institutions, or charitable organizations, and cooperatives in the Kingdom. “The said rules will be strictly implemented by the Embassy in addition to the existing guidelines, particularly on the use of its facilities for the conduct of any activities requested by the different Filipino community organizations in Riyadh," the embassy said. The relevant provisions of the Note Verbale include:
Events or cultural activities were defined by the Saudi MFA as referring to art exhibitions, seminars, cultural lectures, poetry readings, concerts, exhibitions, and bazaars that will be held in cooperation between the diplomatic missions or international organizations, institutions or charitable organizations, and cooperatives in the Kingdom. All other activities not mentioned above may not be given a corresponding permit by the MFA. All applications or requests must be submitted to the Embassy for onward transmittal to the Saudi MFA at least two months prior to the actual day of the event and should include the following information: Place Event program Date Period Name of the person who will open the event Type of event The documents required to be submitted together with the application form are as follows: For lecture or cultural symposium: the copy of its subject, and basic names of sponsors and official speakers/lecturers showing the civil registration number if they are citizens, and the number of residence permit (Iqamah) if they are residents, and passport number if they are from abroad. For exhibitions: the names of the sponsors of the art works, indicating the civil registration number if they are citizens, and the number of residence permit (Iqamah) if they are residents, and passport number if they are from abroad, and attach clear photographs of those arts. For concert relative to official celebration to be held by the diplomatic missions or international organizations (such as the National Day or cultural days): the names of artists and their nationalities, indicating the civil registration number if they are citizens, and the number of residence permit (Iqama) if they are residents, and passport number if they are from abroad. For poetry reading: the names of poets and their nationalities, indicating the civil registration number if they were citizens, and the number of residence permit if they are residents, and passport number if they are from abroad. For charity exhibition or trade exhibit advertising and promoting goods or products: It should take into account the government authority governing it and locally applied permit in coordination with the relevant authorities, with the need to specify dates for visit of men and another for women, and the same must avoid collecting donations in any way during the exhibition. The following conditions must also be observed: For special concerts not link to any national event: it must be held inside the premises of the diplomatic mission or the international organization submitting the request. For events held outside the diplomatic mission or international organization’s premises: it must be held in a particular place (such as hotels, cultural centers) and that the event must not exceed past mid-night. No women and students of public and private universities maybe invited in the events held within the premises of diplomatic missions and international organizations without their legal guardians. Nobody must exploit such events to engage in political or religious activities that could lead to breach of public order/security. – GMA News 
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