KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah met yesterday with the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini during his official visit to the country. The Head of His Highness the Prime Minister's Diwan Abdulaziz Al-Dakheel, and the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organization Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah attended the meeting.
During his meeting with Lazzarini, Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad expressed Kuwait's appreciation for UNRWA's efforts by providing educational, health, relief and protection services to more than 5.7 million Palestinian refugees. Meanwhile, Lazzarini valued Kuwait's firm position in supporting the agency, expressing his deep appreciation and gratitude for the distinguished humanitarian and pioneering role played by Kuwait to stand by the Palestinian refugees and everyone in need.
Kuwait's National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem also met with the UNRWA Commissioner-General in the Near East and his accompanying delegation. During the encounter, they addressed a host of key issues and subjects pertinent to the humanitarian conditions of Palestinian refugees and how to ease out their woes and facilitate UNRWA activities.
Meanwhile, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and UNRWA signed a couple of grant agreements in Kuwait yesterday. The grant deals were signed by UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini and KFAED Director-General Marwan Al-Ghanem. Under the agreements, KFAED will provide a grant worth $1.5 million for UNRWA's health program in Lebanon, targeting continuing health care services for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Ghanem said.
It is also meant to offer health care services and cover hospital treatment expenses for about 2,936 patients in need of medical care, including treatment for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, intensive care, burns and other specialized services, he said. The other grant valued at $20 million aims to support the agency's program budget for 2021 and 2022, he said, adding that this extraordinary financial support will help the Agency continue to provide vital humanitarian services to Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, he added.
The fresh grants are part of Kuwait's pledge during the Third Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on UNRWA, which was held on October 15, 2020 to support its objectives of protecting Palestinian Refugees and ensuring access to aid. Meanwhile, the UN refugee official voiced thanks and appreciation to the State of Kuwait for this generous donation, saying that this aid extended by an Arab country gives a message that the refugees would not be left alone. He underlined the significance of this support from the Kuwaiti government, through its development arm (KFAED), noting that this timely aid would contribute to providing continued services to Palestinian refugees this and next year. - KUNA