KUWAIT: The Stateof Kuwait continues to extend its humanitarian arm throughout the globe,helping those who are in dire need. Kuwait's humanitarian stance stemmed fromthe directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah, a figure recognized as a world humanitarian leader by the UN. In theGaza Strip, Kuwait's International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) provided$200 million funds to help irrigation projects in several areas.
Head of Gaza'sMakkah charitable society Dr Hazem Al-Seraj commended the Kuwaiti assistance,which will provide adequate water resources to the people of Gaza. Meanwhile,the official revealed that Kuwait also provided $40,000 to help provide medicalassistance and equipment to a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
In Geneva, theVice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross GillesCarbonnier lauded Kuwait's contribution to the committee's humanitarianprograms and projects in Yemen. This praise came due Kuwait's $11 million-worthdonation to efforts there. Kuwait's Ambassador to the UN and InternationalOrganizations in Geneva Jamal Al-Ghunaim said that this donation is part ofKuwait's pledge made during the Donor Conference for Yemen, held in April 2018in Geneva. He expressed Kuwait's keenness to back the humanitarian situation inYemen, and that his country contributes vitally in several ICRC's activities,especially since it is an active member in the ICRC Donor Support Group.
The Kuwaitidiplomat also mentioned that ICRC is currently making clear and tangibleefforts in Yemen to secure humanitarian actions in that country, particularlyin the general health field. Ghunaim affirmed his country's support of theseefforts and commitment to honor its pledges made at the Donor Conference forYemen. Also in Geneva, Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) inYemen Altaf Musani lauded the role played by Kuwait in supporting healthcare inYemen.
Musani'sstatement came after his meeting with Ghunaim. Kuwait is committed to itshumanitarian role and continues to provide vital aids to Yemenis, affirmed theWHO official, indicating that the new batch of support will be directed towardssupporting hospitals and health clinics in Yemen. The Kuwaiti aid will alsoaddress the shortage of medicine and the spread of contagious ailments such asCholera, he revealed.
Ghunaim said thatKuwait, as a global center of humanitarian aid, would continue to provide muchneeded aid to the people of Yemeni in accordance to the directives of Kuwaitileadership. The new batch of support comes in line with the pledge made byKuwait in the UN donors' conference for Yemen this spring, he added. Ghunaimindicated that he was glad that the Kuwait hospital in Yemen was one of themajor operational health facilities in the war torn country, hoping that theKuwaiti-funded hospitals will attend to the needs of Yemenis.
Meanwhile,Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the UN at Geneva Carolyn RodriguesBirkett lauded Kuwait's support to the organization. The remarks came after hermeeting with Ghunaim, which discussed Kuwait's support and donations allocatedto FAO's programs in Yemen, which would help in the rehabilitation of theagricultural and food services sector in Yemen, she said. Birkett expressedhope of this fruitful cooperation with Kuwait to continue. Meanwhile, Ghunaimsaid that cooperation between Kuwait and FAO aims at directing humanitariansupport to those in need and affected in the first place. Kuwait's cooperationwith FAO, whether in Yemen or Syria, is the only one of its kind in the region,he added. - KUNA