NGO donor-pledging event for Syria to be held in Kuwait

KUWAIT, March 16 (KUNA) -- The International Islamic Charity Organisation (IICO) said it would be hosting the Third International Donors' Conference for Non-Government Organisations on March 30.
The event is being held for a third time under the directions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, due to his concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation some 12.2 million Syrians displaced inside and out of their country are experiencing for a fifth year now, said the IICO chief.
The IICO has dispatched dozens of invitations to local, regional and international humanitarian organisations to attend the event, where they will announce their pledges and aid programmes, Director General Salem Hamada added.
In its previous two editions, the event has been successful in combining efforts and building strategic partnerships aimed at easing the burden on Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, alongside Iraq and Armenia and those displaced within Syria.
Hamada said that the IICO has also been in contact with local Kuwaiti charities in order to assess and put into place the conference's needs and programme, with teams set up for each role pertaining to the event like media and public relations, and management.
Charities in Kuwait all fall under Kuwait's Supreme Committee for Relief, headed by Amiri Diwan Advisor and the UN chief's Humanitarian Envoy Abdullah Al-Maatouq, and this step was taken under the directions of His Highness the Amir to ensure the unification of relief efforts in the country.
Hailing His Highness the Amir's decision to host the third event of its kind, he said it adds to Kuwait's rich record of initiatives and humanitarian accomplishments in the case of Syria and many other nations stricken by war, conflict and natural hazards.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon awarded His Highness the Amir with the title of 'Humanitarian Leader' and Kuwait 'Humanitarian Centre' in a ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in 2014.
This conference, to be held at the NGOs' level, will precede the Third International Pledging Conference for Syria, due on March 31.
Kuwait hosted the first and second aid pledging conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014. The two conferences were successful and raised USD 3.9 billion in aid pledges, USD 1.5 billion in the first and USD 2.4 billion in the second. Kuwait donated at total of USD 800 million in the two conferences, USD 300 million in the first and USD 500 in the second. (end) sd