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Guterres lauds Al-Maatouq's relief efforts

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres meets Advisor to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres meets Advisor to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq
By Tamer Abou Elenin GENEVA, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres commended efforts being made by Advisor to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq to facilitate the delivery of relief aid on the regional and international scales.
Dr. Al-Maatouq, also UN Secretary General representative for humanitarian affairs, was able to open lifelines to thousands of victims of humanitarian disasters, including the internally-displaced people (IDP) in Sudan South, Guterres told KUNA on Monday after his meeting with senior Kuwaiti official.
Dr. Al-Maatouq's efforts and contacts with various influential parties in both countries brought about positive impacts on the humanitarian action; he is the most active humanitarian personality in disaster-hit areas, Guterres affirmed.
Regarding his talks with Dr. Al-Maatouq, the UN official said they discussed Kuwait contributions to the relief efforts for the Syrian refugees in neighboring countries as well as the IDP in Syria and Iraq.
The exacerbating situations in Syria and Iraq require updating information on how the UN and regional aid agencies could respond to the growing needs of refugees and IDP, he added.
On his part, Dr. Al-Maatouq, who heads the Kuwait-based International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), said he had a fruitful meeting with Guterres where they discussed the highly-complicated problems of refugees and IDP in such areas as Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen.
"We have reviewed the UNHCR strategies for addressing the humanitarian disasters in these areas. To address such disasters requires not only financial assistance but mobilization of international efforts as well," he said in a similar statement to KUNA.
"The international efforts should focus on how to find clear-cult political solutions in order to end the suffering of conflict-hit people for good," Dr. Al-Maatouq stressed.
He thanked Guterres for congratulating His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on his planned honoring by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for his generosity.
Al-Maatouq arrived in Geneva last night to attended the ceremony of the IOM for honoring His Highness the Amir during a meeting by the IOM member states, due tomorrow. (end) ta.gb