2. In addition to receiving complaints, the Law on the Establishment of the NIHR granted it the
power to advise those concerned on the procedures to be followed and assist them in doing
so, or help them resolve complaints with the competent authorities. The NIHR assumes a positive
role in providing legal assistance and advice to individuals or entities, through advising on the
procedures to be followed and assisting in taking action, while highlighting the importance of
exhausting all administrative or legal remedies and grievances, as the case may be, or submitting
a report to the competent security authorities, or helping them to head to the concerned competent
authority with inherent jurisdiction to consider the complaint. The total number of requests for legal
assistance during (2013 -2019) has reached (1529) request.
Second: Guide on receiving complaints and the provided legal assistance
3. T he NIHR has issued a Guide on receiving complaints and providing legal assistance to keep
pace with the advances already made in the mechanism for handling complaints in terms of
the new electronic system to follow up on the received complaints and legal aid provided. The
Guide is divided into eight sections: The first section contains general principles and concepts and
terminology. The second section deals with the competencies of the NIHR and the complaints that
the NIHR has jurisdiction to consider and those that are not within its jurisdiction. The third section
addresses the procedures for receiving complaints, means of filing (submitting) a complaint, and
the initiating procedures to deal with a complaint. The fourth section is on the mechanism and
stages of dealing with the complaint, reviewing and considering it, and providing legal opinion.
The fifth section covers the follow-up process of the complaint and communication with the
competent bodies. The sixth section is on discontinuing the procedures and shelving (retaining)
the complaint. The seventh section covers the provision of legal assistance and counseling,
while the eighth section is on the procedures for amending the Guide; noting that the Guide is
available to all on the NIHR’s website in both Arabic and English languages.
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