NEW YORK: The general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, presented Mark Lowcock, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with a cheque for $500 million from Saudi Arabia to fund the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan on Wednesday.
The signing ceremony took place at the opening of a conference titled “Humanitarian Situation Yemen, The Way Forward,” which featured statements from a number of UN officials and diplomats, including foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Lowcock said the grant will be distributed by OCHA to the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the UN Children’s Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Development Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization “to support essential priorities in the Yemen Humanitarian Response.”
Officials present for the signing included the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to the US Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi and the secretary-general of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen.
Following the signing, Lowcock expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom’s generous support: “With today’s provision of funds from Saudi Arabia, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan will have received more than $2.3 billion, or 56 percent of its requirements for the year. This is substantial progress, and we thank all our donors for their support.”
Al-Rabeeah added his remarks on the goals of KSRelief’s strong partnership with the UN. “The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center commends the efforts of the UN organizations, which share our commitment to alleviating the suffering of the people of Yemen in accordance with international humanitarian laws and principles of neutrality. I assure you that Saudi Arabia is keen to support all peace initiatives submitted by the UN envoys to Yemen.
“The Kingdom has also supported all meaningful and constructive dialogue that supports peace efforts and adopts peaceful solutions in Yemen, such as the Yemen National Dialogue, the Stockholm Agreement and UN Resolution 2216 to ensure the return of peace, security and stability to Yemen, the region and the entire world.”