KUWAIT: Kuwait tops the world in terms of most humanitarian aid provided as compared to national income, a Kuwaiti diplomat said on Thursday. In a speech at a Kuwaiti foreign ministry-sponsored ceremony held by a contingent from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to mark the 65th anniversary of the organization’s inception, Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Ambassador Aziz Al-Daihani highlighted Kuwait’s contributions to humanitarian endeavors.
Moreover, he recalled that Kuwait has hosted a trio of international conferences over worsening humanitarian conditions in Syria, which yielded aid worth $7 billion earmarked for humanitarian causes. "Kuwait has also provided refuge to around 130,000 Syrian nationals since the war in Syria first broke out,” he noted. Daihani also underscored that sustained development goals for post-2015 are crucial to the success of the UN, adding that Kuwait is eager to make sure that those goals ultimately come to fruition.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (SCPD) Dr Khaled Mehdi said that the ceremony coincides with the formation of the 2018-2019 development plan. He also noted that Kuwait strives to be a focal part of UN sustained development programs, through establishing partnerships with leading global development organizations in efforts to better serve humanity. Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration, with 166 member states and eight states holding observer status. — KUNA