FNC passes draft law on voluntary work
BILL PROPOSES CREATING A UAE-WIDE DATABASE OF VOLUNTEERS
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The Federal National Council (FNC) yesterday passed a draft law to regulate voluntary work across the UAE. Hessa Bint Eisa Bu Humaid, Minister of Community Development, told the FNC that the bill aims to a create a culture of volunteerism in line with the government’s policies.
“The new legislation calls for coordinating voluntary work across the country and establishing a database of volunteers to encourage them to register with the volunteer platform,” the minister said.
According to the draft law, volunteer organisations licensed to work in the UAE are obliged to provide volunteers with a healthy and safe environment, sufficient training and induction, insurance cover against injuries and clear description of assignments.
Volunteer organisations’ obligations include recording volunteers’ data, nature of work entrusted to them and hours volunteered in the database approved by the Ministry of Community Development.
They are also required to provide volunteers with the necessary equipment, tools and information and insurance. Entities accepting volunteers shall be responsible for all expenses, including treatment of volunteers for any injuries sustained in the course of work.
Volunteer organisations must ensure that volunteers are not exposed to risks to their health or safety. They must also provide the volunteer with the information and training he/she needs to perform the volunteer role safely.
Insurance cover
It is the organisation’s responsibility to ensure that appropriate insurance cover is provided to protect volunteers.
They should have internal policies or procedures in place, including a statement on how they manage volunteer involvement. They should have clear procedures on how they deal with complaints and grievances. ■ ■ ■
Public Liability Insurance covers the organisation’s legal liability to pay damages to a third party (such as a member of the public or clients of the organisation) for personal injury or property damage accidentally caused by a member of the organisation, including its volunteers.
Monitoring
The Community Development Ministry will advertise opportunities, keep data of teams, document voluntary work, assess volunteers and receive complaints from volunteers or against them.
The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority will be tasked with overseeing volunteering organisations in emergencies.
Those who break the law may face fines ranging between Dh10,000 and Dh100,000. Volunteers who reveal confidential information they may have come across as they carried out voluntary work may face a fine not exceeding Dh30,000.
Under the draft law, a voluntary work charter will be issued by the Minister of Community Development and the Cabinet will issue the executive regulations, three months after publishing it in the official gazette. The law shall come into effect six months from the date of its publication in the gazette.