Muhammad bin Fahd Al Saud

Mohammad Bin Fahd is the second of the sons of the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1950.

Mohammad bin Fahd received his school education in the Capital Model Institute. He continued his university education in the University of California- Santa Barbara where he received a bachelor's degree in economics and political sciences.

After his graduation, he worked in the private sector but was gradually introduced to multiple public assignments. He was appointed as Assistant Deputy Minister of Interior and remained in this position until he became Governor of the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1985.

He married Jawaher bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz and they had six children; Prince Turki (1979), Prince Khaled (1984), Prince Abdulaziz (1991), Princess Nouf (1975), Princess Noura (1981) and Princess Mashael (1988).[1][2]

Mohammad bin Fahd developed great interest in various social and humanitarian causes. He launched multiple initiatives and programs that continue to serve various sectors of the community and participate in humanitarian development inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among these initiatives are listed: the Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Program for Youth Development, which received the UN Award for Best Practices to Improve Living Environment in 2002 in the Emirate of Dubai, as well as the Sharjah Prize for Volunteer Work in 2007.

He established a foundation to embrace all his programs and initiatives under one administrative umbrella. He also launched the idea of a private university with international standards in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and offered the university support, guidance and supervision. The people of the Eastern Province named it Prince Mohammad University in recognition of his dedication and support.[1]

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of governance of the Eastern Province, the people of the Eastern Province dedicated a book titled, Prince Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz: 25 Years of History of the Eastern Province.[3] The book presented Mohammad’s vision for their province, incorporating his public duties with his innovative approach to second the governmental planning for growth and development.

Muhammad bin Fahd received an honorary doctorate of Public Service from The University of Central Florida in the United States of America. A formal letter from the President of UCF states that the honorary degree is awarded to him in recognition of his considerable contributions for advancement of education and development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and internationally. It further states that his charitable work and his record of achievement have made a positive and lasting mark, and it has also fostered international understanding and cooperation.[6][7]

The involvement of Abdulaziz in the private sector and his service in the governmental functions blended into a unique experience that ensured all public and private efforts are streamlined to serve the citizens of the Eastern Province. Therefore, he defined a clear vision to his governing style since his appointment to the Governorate of the Eastern Province in 1985. That vision is mostly two-dimensional: in the first dimension, his role as governor ensures the implementation of the state's plans and developmental projects for the province and in the second dimension the Abdulaziz strived to create sufficient motivation to the whole community at its various levels and with its various players to ensure sustainable development of the province.

This vision had three main pillars:

• The service and achievements of a successful governor surpass the boundaries of the job responsibility.
• The various sectors of the society complement each other for sustainable development.
• The youth are the pillars and the future of any nation.
• The social development is possible through collective work and social responsibility.
• Scientific research supports informed decision making.
• Women constitute half of the society and their roles should reflect this fact.
• Developing the Eastern Province as capital of the Gulf industries.
• Improving private education aims to support public education.

Abdulaziz's achievements during his tenure as Governor of the Eastern Province covered the various developmental aspects for the region including:

• Improvement of the infrastructure mainly roads and electricity
• Development of the industry including oil industries, basic industries and the establishment of industrial cities
• Modernization of the ports and railways
• Support to commerce and services
• Support to tourism and recreation
• Support to health services
• Support to agriculture
• Development of Education
• Support to urban development

Abdulaziz launched a number of initiatives that address an array of humanitarian problems and help in overcoming them. He did not focus only on limited aspects of the human development; he rather ensured that his actions covered a vast array in the humanitarian development field. He addressed the humanitarian development through his support for science and innovation and through his care for people with special needs and for the needy members of society. Therefore, he developed programs that helped various social groups to lead normal and comfortable lives while benefiting from all the basic life necessities. This is in addition to a variety of other initiatives and programs that targeted employment, entrepreneurship, training, and education.

To bring all these initiatives under one umbrella, he established the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Foundation for Humanitarian Development.[8] The foundation aims at finding innovative solutions to humanitarian problems. Its programs intend to identify the nature of these problems while determining convenient solutions and ways of their application within the targeted communities. It supports humanitarian development both inside and outside the Kingdom.

The Foundation has a number of programs and initiatives in different fields. These are:

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Research and Strategic Studies: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd has a special vision for international cooperation and joint understanding of problems and conducting joint research and studies to identify challenges and available opportunities. Based on his strong support to international cooperation, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Research and Strategic Studies was established at the University of Central Florida in the United States of America. The Program tackles wide scopes which are considered vital and include: cultural and academic exchange, strategic research and studies of mutual interest. The program is operated by Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University and the University of Central Florida and it was officially launched in 2012.[13]

• King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Program for Studies and Research in International Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University: The Program is a result of a cooperation between Pepperdine University in California (USA) and Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in Al Khobar (KSA). The Program has been established to advance public knowledge and awareness about international dispute resolution as well as the interconnection of critical issues of mutual interest to both institutions.
• Arab Center for Youth Empowerment: The Center is founded based on the concept of cooperation between the Royal Scientific Society, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University, and Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd International Foundation. This center has been established as a real and effective tool to achieve the desired objectives through discovering the special skills to be found among young people and supporting them through training programs, research and studies.[14]
• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Center for Futuristic Studies.

Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd support Endowed Chairs in universities to undertake studies that lead to taking effective decisions to overcome problems and improving performance, these are:

• King Abdulaziz Endowed Chair in Islamic Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara Studies in California.[15]
• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Endowed Chair for Volunteer Work Studies at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.[16][17]
• Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Endowed Chair for Support of Youth Initiatives at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.[18]
• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Endowed Chair for Urban and Regional Studies at University of Dammam, Dammam.[19][20]
• Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Endowed Chair for NANO Science and Technology at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University.

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation for Humanitarian Development has numerous achievements in the field of women's development, including but not limited to:

• Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Fund for Women Development:

Which succeeded in funding a large number of small projects initiated by women.[21]

• Princess Jawaher Mashael Al-Kheir Center:

Which qualifies young women for employment in jobs that enable them to face the demands of life.[22]

• Princess Nouf Bint Mohammad Fund for the Support of Employed Women:

Which aims at providing psychological and moral support for working women, training them for suitable jobs according to the needs of the workplace and develop them professionally and intellectually.[23]

• Mahara Program for Qualifying Girls:

The program aims at training and equipping young females with computer skills and English language to qualify them for jobs related to information technology in the workplace.

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Youth Development (Female Office):

It presents different types of services related to training and developing girls and qualifying them to meet the demands of life.

• Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for the Visually Impaired:

In his endeavor to support disabled individuals, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd observed the disadvantage conditions of the visually impaired despite their remarkable potential and, in many cases, their high mental abilities. As a result, he launched the initiative to establish an institution of higher education to this category of the disabled, and the institution was named "Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for the Visually Impaired". The College aims at providing an ideal environment to help people with visual disabilities overcome their difficulties and integrate in society to realize their ambitions in life.[24]

• Committee for Social Rehabilitation:

The Committee aims at rehabilitating and employing individuals who need help and support to face the demands of life. The Committee works on rehabilitating people suffering from problems such as addiction and a following up with them to facilitate their integration in society.[25]

• Incubator for Ex-prisoners:

Youth Released from Rehabilitation Centers and Youth Treated from Addiction. Every year a number of prisoners and youth are released from prisons and rehabilitation centers and also a number of youth leave hospital after overcoming their addiction. These young people usually find themselves unable to integrate with the community and start a new positive and productive life. Therefore, "Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Fund for Humanitarian Development" took note of this sector of the community and provided it with help to integrate into the community and enable it to utilize individual abilities in realizing ambitions. The Incubator was established to overcome the various challenges and it also ensured that all possible help is provided. This includes training and employment and also providing support in starting small projects for those who had entrepreneurial drive. The fund helps them get financial support and provides them with administrative and technical support so that their small projects strive and grow and become successfully implemented and sustainable.[26][27]

• Roya Center:

The Club supports the integration of the visually impaired in the community and their participation in effectively serving the country.[28]

• SHIFAA Fund:

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Fund for Humanitarian Development established SHIFAA Fund Kingdom wide, based on its mission in the different fields of humanitarian development.[29] The Fund aims at treating the ill persons who are facing problems in finding suitable funding for treatment. It also provides medical equipment for the patients and those with special needs. An annual budget is made available for the Fund.

• Improving the Homes of the Poor:

Homes of the poor are annually identified and provided with proper maintenance and tailored improvement so as to provide its residents with comfortable and decent environment to live.[30]

• Overall Care Project to Support Poor Families:

The Project adopts poor families and provides support to all its members to realize various ambitions and lead decent lives.[31]

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd launched a number of prizes to support innovation and excellence in different fields. These are:

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Prizes for the Service of Charity Works:

The Prize aims at encouraging acts of charity as well as supporting research studies related to it in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[32][33]

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd for Best Charity Performance in Arab Countries:

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation for Humanitarian Development adopted a prize in collaboration with the Arab Organization for Administrative Development that is associated with the Arab League.[34] The prize aims at availing opportunities for Charity and Humanitarian Societies in the Arab World to achieve best performance and implement the culture of distinction. The institutions and societies are required to observe the various criteria of excellence defined by the Prize to qualify for it. The Prize also endeavors to upgrade the level of charity work and the charitable institutions in Arab World. It encourages the institutions to achieve distinction in institutional performance and adopt best innovative practices for the improvement of humanitarian services, through fair competition. It also provides recognition to qualifying institutions based on criteria that derive from scientific assessment.

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Prize for Excellence in Governmental Performance:

The Prize aims at offering better service from government organizations in the Eastern Province through encouraging effective and creative leadership. The type of leadership that that relies on preplanning, develops its resources and improves its processes and procedures and use information technology to reach excellent performance.[35]

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Prize for Scientific Excellence:

The Prize aims at encouraging students to excel in scientific fields at all levels. The prize also aims at motivating students to take part in fair competitions and spread the spirit of positive competitiveness among educational institutions.[36]

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Award for Da’wah and Mosques Services:

The Award seeks to promote the role of da’wah and mosques in disseminating virtues and positive values, to support efforts of preventing erroneous ideas and behaviors in society, and to promote social interaction with da’wah and mosques.[37]

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz for the Recruitment of the Disabled:

The Prize aims at encouraging private sector institutions to employ and even create job opportunities for people with special needs.[38]

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University Award for Best Work on National Day:

The Award is to honor the distinguished and creative people in presenting works that express loyalty and belonging to the nation that affect society in recognition of the importance of the nation's national day.

• Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation International Insignia for Voluntary Work in the Arab World.

the prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation International Insignia aims at increasing competition in presenting voluntary work in the Arab Countries and enforcing the concept of social responsibly.

The Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd International Foundation (PMIF) is based in London. The (PMIF) focuses on launching initiatives that contribute to human development internationally.

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz launched the idea of a world class university, drawing up its vision of being a top tier academic institution offering distinguished education and using the latest technologies. He initiated the first steps towards its establishment when he donated the land in Half Moon Bay, City of Al Khobar, in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also donated the funds for the establishment of the largest college in the university that is the College of Engineering. He wanted the University to be a Saudi university with international standards that responds to the contemporary educational needs and provide education that satisfies the requirements of local students to become global graduates. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd supported the establishment of the University since it was an idea and until it became a reality. He gave all the support needed and directives until the teaching started in the year 2006. He still follows up the progress of the university and gives his instructions from his position as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University.[39]