GENEVA: Saudi aid agency KSrelief and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, signed two agreements worth $ 11 million to support refugees and internally displaced people in Yemen, Sudan and Chad.
The first agreement granted a $7 million contribution for shelter and relief items to 14,000 displaced families, or around 84,000 individuals, affected by the crisis in Yemen.
The second agreement allocated $4 million to aid 29,480 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sudan, 7,650 refugees in South Sudan, and 7,802 refugees who fled the country to Chad.
The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief, and Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNHCR Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Countries, praised Saudi Arabia’s support for the UN’s aid efforts.
“This generous contribution will allow us to continue providing life-saving assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan and Chad,” Khalifa said in a statement.
He added: “In light of the ever-increasing humanitarian needs of millions of forcibly displaced people around the world and shrinking resources, we need our partners to step up their support, now more than ever before”.
Ahmed Al-Baiz, KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs, said: “The signing of these agreements comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian role supporting affected and needy people around the world and alleviating their suffering as much as possible.”
He noted that the Kingdom has provided UNHCR with a total of $ 319 million over the past years.
UNHCR figures showed that as of October 2023, 21.6 million Yemenis have been dependent on humanitarian assistance, including 4.5 million internally displaced people and 71,800 refugees and asylum-seekers.
The fighting in Sudan, which broke out in April, displaced more than 4.8 million people inside the country with a further 1.2 million refugees to neighboring countries.
The two-day GRF, co-hosted by UNHCR and Switzerland, brought together UN member states with relevant stakeholders, international and local organizations, civil society, financial institutions, academia and the private sector to discuss support for refugees and host communities worldwide.
It also offered a platform for participants to announce new pledges and facilitate comprehensive responses.
KSrelief, UNHCR sign $11 million agreements to support displaced people in Sudan, Yemen and Chad
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KSrelief, UNHCR sign $11 million agreements to support displaced people in Sudan, Yemen and Chad
- First agreement granted a $7 million contribution for shelter and relief items to 14,000 displaced families in Yemen
- Second agreement allocated $4 million to aid refugees in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad
Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign
RIYADH: The Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Rijal Almaa in the Asir Region on Thursday launched an initiative to plant 1,000 sidr trees in Wadi Hiswah as part of an environmental sustainability plan aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative.
Inaugurated in 2021, the Saudi Green Initiative unites environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability programs with the overarching aims of offsetting and reducing emissions, increasing afforestation and land restoration, and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
The Beekeepers Association launched the green campaign in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The chairman of the association’s board of directors, Ali bin Yahya Al-Hayani, said that this initiative aims to enhance air quality and combat climate change.
He identified the environmental benefits of the sidr tree, highlighting its resilience, its role in combating desertification, and its contribution to soil health and biodiversity.
Reconstituted Saudi IP authority’s board of directors approved
- Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair
RIYADH: The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property’s newly-reconstituted Board of Directors was approved for a three-year term, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.
In the reconstituted board, Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair. She previously served as the deputy secretary-general of the Council of Ministers and was the first Saudi woman to hold the position.
The approval includes extending the membership of Eng. Haitham Al-Ohali, Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, and Dima Al-Yahya.
Badr Al-Qadi and Dr. Mohammed Al-Otaibi join the board as new members.
Alazzaz expressed her thanks and gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous and continuous support for the authority.
She also thanked the previous board members for their efforts and wished the new members success.
The authority’s CEO Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, said that the new formation of the board reflects the continued generous support of the leadership for the authority, wishing the Board success.
Grand Mosque authority announces free storage for Umrah performers
- Storage facilities are located near the Makkah Library and Gate 64
MAKKAH: Authorities in the holy city of Makkah announced on Wednesday free luggage storage for Umrah performers.
The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque announced that free storage facilities are available to the east of the Grand Mosque, near the Makkah Library, and to the west, near Gate 64.
Umrah performers must present their permits through the Nusuk app to access the facilities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Umrah performers can store bags, not loose items, weighing up to 7 kilograms for a maximum of four hours. Valuables, prohibited items, food, and medicine are not permitted. A claim ticket must be presented for retrieval.
The authority plans to extend the service to encompass all areas around the Grand Mosque to better assist visitors, the SPA added.
King Salman, Crown Prince send condolences to Azerbaijan president
- The King and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also extend sympathies to families of plane crash victims
RIYADH: King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman each sent messages of condolence and sympathy to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, after the tragic crash of a passenger plane.
The King and the crown prince also extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives onboard the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
On Wednesday morning, the passenger plane, traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia, crashed near Aktau, western Kazakhstan, with 62 passengers and five crew members on board.
Kazakh authorities announced that 28 people had survived.
KSrelief chief meets Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia
- Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and Mazen Ghoneim discussed Saudi humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza
RIYADH: The supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, met the Palestinian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim on Wednesday in Riyadh.
Al-Rabeeah and Ghoneim discussed Saudi humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Ghoneim expressed his gratitude to KSrelief and praised its strong relationship with the Palestinian people, the SPA added.
KSrelief initiated various projects to support Palestinian hospitals and humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing Israeli war.
Earlier in December, KSrelief sent 20 fully equipped ambulances to boost the health sector in Gaza.
It also distributed aid and food parcels that benefited nearly 3,500 Palestinians, some of whom were displaced in the Gaza Strip.
