To protect government lands from any encroachment, approval was granted to establish a standing committee called the “State Lands Committee,” The approval included the participation of eight government agencies in addition to the committee chair. The participating ministries are the Interior, Municipal and Rural Affairs, Justice, Finance, Environment, Water and Agriculture, Energy, Housing, and Planning.

Media sources recently reported that a decision by the Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs to appoint the chair of the “State Lands Committee” will be issued at a later date.

The committee chair submits its recommendations to the Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, provided that the committee’s jurisdiction does not conflict with the regulations, orders, and instructions pertaining to minerals, oil, and gas, nor with the jurisdiction and executive functions of the authorities responsible for land affairs as prescribed by law.

The Committee’s primary tasks include formulating general policies regarding state land affairs, the plans and programs necessary for their implementation, proposing draft regulations and amendments to existing regulations concerning land affairs, and proposing the necessary measures to establish the state’s ownership of all its lands.