ShareROME: Representative of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah led a delegation to the International Conference on Development and Migration, which was called for by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Conference, which kicked off earlier in the Italian capital Rome, was also participated by Tunisian President Qais Saeed. Participants in the conference highlighted joint international efforts to confront the illegal immigration crisis, and scrutinized various views and solutions in cooperation with the countries of the region, including addressing the root cause of this crisis, and limiting its effects on all political, economic and security aspects.
They also discussed the most effective ways to reduce the flow of migrants, supporting legal paths in this context, enhancing cooperation to confront human trafficking, and smuggling of migrants. In addition to creating a sustainable social and economic development environment in the countries of origin and preventing more waves of irregular migration across the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa. Participants expressed solidarity, partnership, respect for the national sovereignty of states, shared responsibility towards full compliance with international law, including international human rights law, and work towards finding a long-term structural solution for the sustainable management of migration flows, which were emphasized during the conference.
Sheikh Salem delivered a speech during the conference, expressing thanks to the Italian government for the invitation, and praising its efforts in tackling the issue of migrants in this international conference. The minister also hailed efforts exerted by the Tunisian leadership in this conference and its cooperation with Italy, stressing on the importance of deliberating the issue of migration in this conference, including all of its aspects and consequences, since the issue have multiple humanitarian parts to it.
Sheikh Salem noted that this gathering comes in line with of Kuwait’s wish to work in a global scale for a more secured and stable world, pointing out to international cooperation and countries who are affected by unorganized migration whether from their country of origin of crossing over countries, which represent a critical step that needs to be addressed politically, economically, and in terms of security as well. “Accordingly, Kuwait sees the importance of addressing the root causes of this humanitarian issue,” Sheikh Salem said.
He added, the political vacuum along with the turmoil, as well as the economic stagnation and the escalation of unemployment rates and the severe poverty in some countries constitute a fertile ground for increase in the phenomenon of unregulated migration and human trafficking, which requires uniting efforts to support countries of origin to face the economic difficulties they face. The minister added that he would like to assert on Kuwait role in tackling such issue through its institutions on the economic, development, and investment fronts, and in particular the role of the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development in achieving the development efforts of many countries by financing their development projects and implementing their development programs.
Sheikh Salem said Kuwait Fund for Economic Development represents one of the pillars of Kuwait in its relations with the countries of the world. Since 1961, the Fund has contributed to creating job opportunities, strengthening infrastructure and striving to achieve sustainable development for many developing countries around the world, he noted. The Fund’s activities covered 105 countries and its contributions amounted to soft loans and grants of more than 22 billion dollars, he said. The minister added Kuwait contributed over the past years amounting to about 50 million dollars to support the humanitarian efforts of the International Organization for Migration.
“Those efforts made by the State of Kuwait ultimately lead towards achieving a common goal that we all seek, which is to create an economic and social environment in order to achieve growth and prosperity for the countries that suffer from this problem,” Sheikh Salem said. The minister also said that they “believe that convening this conference is a necessity at this stage and a first step that we bless and support, to be followed by subsequent steps to discuss the best method for implementing the recommendations that will be issued from this conference, through transparent and tight mechanisms to reach the desired goal.
The minister also commended the United Arab Emirates for hosting the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in its twenty-eighth edition (COP 28), and expressed appreciation for exerted efforts of Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the President of UAE in this conference.- KUNA
