By Mahdi Al-Nimr
ROME, Sept 12 (KUNA) -- The World Food Program, in collaboration with Kuwait Embassy held a symposium on Friday to mark the UN naming of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as Humanitarian Leader and Kuwait as humanitarian center.
Kuwait Ambassador to Italy Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended the symposium alongside with the WFP Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Mahmoud Abdullah, and Director of the Regional Bureau for Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Mohammad Diab, as well as representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
In his address to the event, Mahmoud Abdullah welcomed the unprecedented UN honoring of His Highness as a culmination of the long years of generous donations by Kuwait under His Highness the Amir to the victims of natural and man-made disasters.
"Thanks to His Highness the Amir's efforts, Kuwait has become a beacon of humanitarian action and asserted its position at the forefront of relief efforts," he said, pointing out the country's timely responses to emergency situations worldwide.
Abdullah also highlighted Kuwait's leading role in responding to the needs of socio-economic development and galvanizing other donors to contribute to the relief efforts and the alleviation of poverty and hunger.
On behalf of the WFP, he thanked His Highness the Amir and Kuwait government and non-government fund-raising agencies for their contributions to the Program's activities.
Ambassador Sheikh Ali spoke highly of the WFP relief efforts across the world, saying: "The Program is the humanitarian arm of the United Nation; it strongly supported the candidacy of His Highness the Amir to the tile of Humanitarian Leader." In a statement to KUNA he took pride in the UN recognition of the humanitarian role of Kuwait under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir and said this is a milestone in Kuwait's history.
Sheikh Ali also commended the partnership between Kuwait and the WFP in delivering humanitarian aid to the displaced people and the victims of the conflicts in such countries as Syria, Iraq and Palestine.
Meanwhile, Diab, the WFP regional office director, extolled Kuwait for responding to the needs of the Syrians displaced by the conflict through hosting the first and second international pledging conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014 under auspices of His Highness the Amir.
Donors pledged USD 1.5 billion at the first conference and USD 2.4 billion for the Syrian refugees at the second conference.
However, the remaining of these funds cover only 20 percent of the food relief for the refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey in October, Diab noted, voicing hope that the coming conference, due in Kuwait on October 12, will help raise more funds for the relief operations. Kuwait is one of the leading contributors to the WFP food relief for some 80 million people in 75 countries, including four million Syrians; the country donated USD 43 million to the Fund in 2013 and some USD 37.5 million since the beginning of 2014. (end) mn.gb