MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA: On the margins of the Makkah Summit, which was held recently at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Makkah, the Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, held a press conference to discuss the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian work. 

Dr. Al Rabeeah began his remarks by expressing his appreciation for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the summit, which included the participation of other GCC, Arab and Islamic countries. He stressed that the Kingdom has always been a strong humanitarian actor, and that over the past two decades, KSA has provided around USD 87 billion in assistance to more than 80 countries.  

“The Kingdom and its leadership,” he continued, “have proven their impartially in giving aid to those in need, refusing to link humanitarian action with any military or political motivations. KSrelief was established in May 2015 to be a leading humanitarian center for providing assistance and alleviating the suffering of all in need. The center carries out all programs according to international standards for humanitarian aid, including carrying out detailed monitoring of all aid that is delivered, and utilizing highly-coordinated, advanced methods of aid transport with the cooperation of UN agencies and other trusted local and international non-profit organizations in recipient countries.” 

The Supervisor General added that KSrelief’s global projects span all humanitarian and relief sectors, including refugee and IDP camp management, shelter, early recovery, protection, education, WASH, nutrition and health. He stressed that KSrelief aims to be an international model of excellence for the provision of humanitarian aid. Some of the fundamental principles upon which the center bases its operations are: providing aid objectively and fairly to all in need, coordinating and consulting with reliable and trustworthy international organizations and institutions, following internationally-accepted criteria for the optimum selection and application of relief programs, and unifying the efforts of all parties concerned in the Kingdom’s relief activities. KSrelief strives to ensure that that aid is delivered only to eligible recipients and is not diverted for other purposes; the aid must also meet the highest standards of quality. 

Dr. Al Rabeeah also offered some facts and figures about KSrelief’s work to date: the center has implemented 1,011 projects in 44 countries for more than USD 3.5 billion. He added that while the United Nations looks for donor countries to provide about 0.7% of their GNP in humanitarian aid, the Kingdom has either matched or exceeded the amount annually. The Kingdom's assistance in 2014 was about 2% of its GNP – the highest single-country ratio ever recorded in the history of the United Nations.

Yemen receives the largest share of KSrelief’s aid, followed by Palestine, Syria and 41 other countries. KSrelief supports and empowers women to overcome humanitarian challenges in vulnerable communities worldwide; the center has implemented 225 projects for 62 million women around the world through projects and initiatives worth USD 390 million. KSrelief also assisted 114 million children through 234 education, protection, food security, nutrition, health and WASH projects.  

The Supervisor General stated that the international community is largely unaware that the Kingdom hosts the second-highest number of refugees in the world; only the United States has more refugees. In the Kingdom, refugees are referred to as “visitors” and are welcomed in the country and are given many of the same opportunities and services provided to Saudi citizens. The number of refugee “visitors” in the Kingdom are: 561,000 Yemenis, 262,000 Syrians and 249,000 members of the Rohingya community – in total, a number which equals 5% of the Saudi population. 

In order to ensure global transparency concerning the Kingdom’s humanitarian activities, the Saudi Aid Platform was recently established. The public can now access accurate, regularly updated information on the aid being provided by Saudi Arabia worldwide. 

During the past four years, Yemen has received more than USD 12 billion. Some of this amount has been given to directly support the Central Bank of Yemen, and 345 projects have been implemented in all areas of Yemen.

Dr. Al Rabeeah also informed the media that last year, when cholera broke out in Yemen, the Kingdom was one of the first countries to respond to the UN’s call to action. The Kingdom’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, directed KSrelief to urgently support Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to control this epidemic. As a result of all of these efforts, cholera has been controlled in the country, mechanisms to reduce the return of this epidemic have been found, and the Yemeni people have been largely protected from the effects of this dangerous disease. 

KSrelief gives a great deal of attention to the plight of children in Yemen. The center has implemented 150 child-focused projects with USD 500 million. The Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Program has received a great deal of international attention; indeed, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has praised the program, which was created to help children who have been recruited by Houthi militias in Yemen (more than 20,000 youth under the age of 18) and used as armed combatants and human shields in the conflict. The KSrelief program offers psychological, educational, community and family support for the former child soldiers and other children severely affected by the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Thus far, the program has rehabilitated more than 2,000 children, and the center is determined to help as many more as possible. “Children are the future of Yemen,” Dr. Al Rabeeah stated.

Another important KSrelief initiative in Yemen is the MASAM project for demining the country. It has been reported by many international organizations that more than one million mines have been planted by Houthi militias since the start of the Yemen conflict – the largest number in recorded history, and more mines than were planted during all of World War II. MASAM team members have so far managed to deactivate more than 71,000 landmines and other explosive devices.   

In Palestine, KSrelief has implemented 78 projects for an amount of USD 352 million. The center has also supported 191 projects in Syria for USD 276 million and offers free education and health services to Syrian refugees living in the Kingdom. 

“We also,” Dr. Al Rabeeah added, “have a strong presence in Somalia despite the difficult humanitarian challenges there, including threats to humanitarian actors in the country.” Some 37 projects have been carried out in Somalia at a cost of USD 175 million. And in Pakistan, KSrelief has implemented 105 projects to alleviate the suffering of some of the neediest population groups.