GENEVA: General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian and Relief Center (KSRelief) Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that the Kingdom has donated over $17 billion for refugees and displaced people in the last two decades.
He added that $925 million of the total was dedicated to the UN and other international organizations, including $287.9 million donated to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This announcement came during Al-Rabeeah’s participation in the First Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva, Switzerland, in the presence of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and Filippo Grandi, head of states and governments at the UNHCR.
Al-Rabeeah started his speech by thanking the organizers of the forum, which aims to alleviate pressure on host countries and enhance refugees’ self-reliance, allowing them to safely return to their homelands. He stressed the Kingdom’s appreciation for the host communities’ efforts, as well as its eagerness to find effective solutions.
He said: “The Kingdom is aware of its humanitarian role and has dedicated a lot of programs to support refugees and displaced people. It has also ensured the implementation of essential projects in food security, health, sheltering, water, environmental sanitation, nutrition and education.
“In participation with the UAE and Kuwait, the Kingdom has also sponsored the Rohingya Pledging Conference held at the UN headquarters in New York in September, where states committed to giving more than $283 million.”
He added that Saudi Arabia has also hosted 1.9 million Syrian, Yemeni and Rohingya refugees, provided them with job opportunities and offered them health, education and other services for free.
He noted that the Kingdom has also contributed to providing developmental support for infrastructure in host countries, in order to alleviate their burden of hosting refugees.
The general supervisor said that KSRelief’s plan for 2020 included the implementation of many programs and relief projects aimed to support the needy around the world in partnership with UN and international organizations.
The three-day forum will look into many topics such as the role of civil society in helping and employing refugees, dealing with forced displacement and alleviating poverty and refugees’ suffering.
