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Donors pledge USD 1.5 bln for Syrian refugees - UN official

CAIRO, Jan 15 (KUNA) -- The UN Humanitarian Envoy Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq said Tuesday that all humanitarian relief agencies in the GCC countries have been invited to the first international conference of donors for the Syrian refugees, to be hosted by Kuwait late this month.
"The relief agencies and donors sent to us their consent on taking part in the gathering and the pre-conference events," he said in a statement to KUNA, expecting the pledges to top USD 1.5 billion, Dr. Al-Maatouq, of Kuwait, made the comments after his meeting with the Arab League Secretary General Dr. Nabil Al-Araby here.
"During the meeting Dr. Al-Araby voiced regret over the deteriorating situations of the Syrian refugees and the internally-displaced people," he said.
Responding to the invitation of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Secretary General will lead a large delegation from the League to the conference, Dr. Al-Maatouq noted.
The UN official called on the Arab countries to participate actively in the conference and contribute generously to relief effort for the Syrians displaced by the conflict.
He affirmed that all Arab countries are doing their utmost to help the displaced people inside and outside Syria.
He highlighted the importance of the UN initiative to organize the donor conference and select Kuwait as its venue saying this demonstrates Kuwait's great presence in the Arab and Gulf regions.
Commenting on the efforts of the International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) vis-a-vis the Syrian crisis, Dr. Al-Maatouq said the Kuwait-based fund-raising agency set up 1,000 fire-resistant homes for the Syrian refugees in Turkey and a similar number at Al-Zaatari refugee camp in north Jordan.
"The IICO built several schools and field hospitals for the refugees and is offering food assistances to them," said Dr. Al-Maatouq who doubles as chairman of the organization.
Beside the Kuwaiti government's contributions amounting to USD 20 million, the organization managed to raise over USD 30 million for the relief effort for the Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, he added.
On November 28, 2012, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Dr. Al-Maatouq as UN Humanitarian Envoy for Kuwait tasked with working closely with the UN humanitarian chief to build stronger partnerships in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region. (end) mab.mfm.gb KUNA 152046 Jan 13NNNN