RIYADH: On instructions from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy premier and interior minister, the Kingdom donated $33 million to UNICEF to combat cholera in Yemen.
Some 332,000 have been affected by this deadly disease in Yemen, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In June, the crown prince pledged to donate $66.7 million to UNICEF and the WHO to prevent the spread of cholera in Yemen.
On Sunday, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) signed a deal with UNICEF to offer $33 million to fulfill the pledge.
The agreement was signed by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, KSRelief supervisor general, and Shahida Azfar, UNICEF’s Gulf representative based in Riyadh.
Speaking after the ceremony, Al-Rabeeah said the contribution was from the crown prince to fight the disease and ease the suffering of those affected in Yemen.
The remaining $33.7 million will be donated to the WHO in due course, he added. This “is in addition to the projects amounting to $8.2 million recently signed with the WHO and KSRelief,” he said.
KSRelief said it has provided 550 tons of medicine, medical supplies, and intravenous and oral solutions, as well as implemented health and sanitation projects. Azfar thanked the crown prince and KSRelief for their cooperation to help Yemenis.
According to the latest statistics, 1,817 people have died of cholera in less than three months.
There have been 363,000 cases reported in 21 of Yemen’s 22 governorates since April 27.
A cholera outbreak will probably have infected more than 300,000 people by September, the UN said.
Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread via contaminated food or water.
Although it is easily treatable, doing so in conflict-torn Yemen has proved particularly difficult.
UN reports indicate that almost 19 million people — more than two-thirds of Yemen’s total population — are in need of humanitarian assistance, and that 14.5 million people lack access to clean water and sanitation.
Saudi Arabia donates $33m to UNICEF to combat cholera in Yemen
Saudi Arabia donates $33m to UNICEF to combat cholera in Yemen
Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria
- World powers push for Syria’s stability after the fall of Bashar Assad
RIYADH: An expanded ministerial meeting on Syria is being hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday in the capital Riyadh as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar Assad.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq were all in Riyadh ahead of Sunday’s meeting plus envoys from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Other top Arab and Western officials are expected to attend.
The meeting, which is expected to focus on Syria post-Assad, comes as the country’s new administration urges a lift of sanctions by the West to help in the country’s recovery.
KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen
RYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues with its humanitarian activities in Syria and Yemen with the distribution of food supplies, health kits and prosthetic services.
In the town of Beit Yashout, Jabla District of Syria’s Latakia Governorate, 499 families each received boxes containing a bag of flour as well as personal care kits on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.
In Jindires of Aleppo Governorate, KSrelief distributed 1,476 food boxes and 1,476 health kits while in Talbiseh of Homs Governorate the aid agency on Thursday handed out to 86 families food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with winter kits and personal care kits on Thursday.
This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian efforts, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people during various crises and hardships, SPA reported.
Meanwhile in Yemen, the Project for Operating Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz provided medical services to 434 beneficiaries who lost their limbs in December last year.
The center, being supported by KSrelief, delivered 1,613 services including the delivery, measurement and maintenance of prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy and specialized consultations.
UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh
- Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji
RIYADH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.
Sheikh Abdullah is in the Kingdom to attend an expanded ministerial meeting on Syria to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, SPA added.
New Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani also arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening to participate in the ministerial meeting.
He was also welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Al-Khuraiji.
Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace
- The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen attempting to storm the palace
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned the recent attack on the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad, which left 19 people dead, including a soldier guarding the complex, and injured others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for Chad’s security and stability, while rejecting any actions that threaten the country’s peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In its statement, the Ministry extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the fallen soldier and to the government and people of Chad. The Kingdom also wished a swift recovery for those injured in the assault.
The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen reportedly linked to Boko Haram attempting to storm the presidential palace, prompting a fierce battle.
The Chadian government confirmed that 18 attackers from a 24-member commando unit were killed in the fighting, alongside one security personnel. Tanks were deployed to secure the area.
GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia
- Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties
RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi recently received New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Charles Kingston at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh.
Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties, the General Secretariat wrote in a report.
During the meeting, they also discussed a number of topics of mutual interest, notably the progress of negotiations for the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and updates on the joint action plan between the two sides. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues.
