UNFPA appreciates Kuwait aid to Syrian refugees

AMMAN, Nov 9 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait offers praiseworthy contributions to relief effort for the Syrian refugees in Jordan, two officials of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Sunday.
Kuwait's role in assisting in emergencies was self-evident in hosting the first and second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in January, 2012 and January, 2013, respectively, coordinator of UNFPA emergencies program in Jordan Dr. Shibl Sahbani said.
The two donor conferences resulted in pledges amounting to nearly USD four billion. During the first conference Kuwait contributed the much-needed USD five million for UNFPA to respond to disaster of the Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, he told KUNA.
Dr. Sahbani made the comments during an inspection tour of the services offered by UNFPA to Syrian refugees at Al-Zaatari camp, north Jordan, in the presence of First Secretary of Kuwait Embassy in Amman Khaled Al-Zaabi.
On the UNFPA activities, he said they alleviate the suffering of the refugees, particularly women, and protect women against social violence.
"UNFPA offers indispensable services for women refugees not only in the camp but through 20 maternity and reproductive health clinics across Jordan as well," Dr. Sahbani pointed out.
"The fund runs four maternity clinics and four reproductive health clinics at Al-Zaatari camp which houses some 80,000 refugees.
"These clinics administer a daily average of 10-12 births with the total number of registered births amounting to 2,100 so far," he said, noting that UNFPA is the only agencies offering reproductive health services for the women refugees.
Dr. Sahbani expressed gratitude to the Kuwaiti leaders and people for their generous donations to the Syrian refugees in Jordan and elsewhere.
On her part, UNFPA's assistant representative Suad Nabhan thanked Kuwait and other donors, including the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the United States and Canada, for their contributions to the Fund since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.
"Today's tour aimed to inspect the UNFPA strategies for responding to humanitarian issues and curbing the social violence based on race or gender," she noted.
UNFPA plays a leading and unique role in offering essential services for female refugees; it served up to 16,000 females in the camp during the first half of this year, she added.
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
UNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives.
Since UNFPA started working in 1969, the number and rate of women dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth has been halved. Families are smaller and healthier. Young people are more connected and empowered than ever before. (end) hmf.gb