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Kuwait, UN officials pin high hopes on Syria's donors' conf.

(Roundup)

KUWAIT, March 29 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti, UN and charity officials pinned hope the Third International Pleding Humanitarian Conference for Syria would meet its objectives and thus alleviate suffering of millions of Syrians, internally displaced and refugees in neighboring countries.
They agreed that Kuwait's hosting of the third conference, following its hosting of the first and second meetings in 2013 and 2014, was a clear evidence of the Gulf country's leadership in humanitarian field.
Kuwait's Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah said UN's call on Kuwait to host the third aid-pledging conference for the Syrian people reflected Kuwait's leading humanitarian role.
Sheikh Mohammad, also Chairman of the Higher Coordination Committee of Conferences, said Kuwait has fully honored its pledges it announced during the first and second International Pledging Humanitarian Conferences for Syria.
Kuwait fully honored its USD 800 million pledges, Sheikh Mohammad told a news conferencre after opening the Media Center of the March 31 donors' conference, also known as Kuwait III.
He hoped the pledges at Kuwait III would exceed those made during the first and second meetings in order to alleviate suffering of the Syrian people.
Sheikh Mohammad underlined that Kuwait has been offering direct assistance to make sure the money reach those in need, in compliance with international laws.
He said he was confident of the way the international organizations distribute donations to those in need, and that Kuwait was closely cooperating with the UN Development Program (UNDP) to contribute to development projects.
Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait and UNDP were exploring projects to provide sustainable income for the Syrian IDPs and refugees.
Sheikh Mohammad, when asked whether Syria would be invited, affirmed that the UN was the authority sending the invitations and "we provide necessary facilities." Sheikh Mohammad was asked whether Kuwait will be willing to host similar conferences for conflict-ridden countries, and said "whenever the UN asks to host any conference for humanitarian purposes, Kuwait will be honored to honor any international conference in this respect, which falls in harmony with Kuwait as a Humanitarian Center." He said the UN's honoring of His Highness the Amir as "Humanitarian leader" and Kuwait as "Humanitarian Center" last September reflected the leadership demonstrated by Kuwait.
A UN official said Kuwait's role in supporting global humanitarian efforts is "unprecedented" and is growing day by day.
Addressing attendees of a seminar on the growing role of Gulf states on the matter, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Ayad Hassan praised Kuwait's efforts on Syria two days ahead of third donor global talks for the crisis.
After hosting the former two conferences aimed at raising pledges for Syrians displaced internally and in neighbouring countries, he said that thanks to Kuwait's following up of pledges made at Kuwait II, nations fulfilled over 90 percent.
He described Kuwait as a "partner" that the UN resorts to when it is lacking in funds, in addition to being a "leading example in generosity and moral obligation." Relief efforts have focused on providing food and healthcare to the Syrian refugees in bordering host communities that have been swamped by the sheer huge influx of people fleeing the conflict, he indicated.
The donor conference should stop or resolve the conflict in Syria as this huge influx abroad should come to a halt through reaching a political solution, he suggested.
As a humanitarian, he said he was committed to the role, adding that the people in his line of work need political and financial support to continue their role in Syria.
He went on to mention that 72 humanitarians have lost their lives, including 45 from the Syrian Red Crescent alone.
Indicating current needs, he said they should not only target food and drink but, at in the time being, should aim to build the capabilities of the Syrians.
Humanitarian societies are trying to deliver assistance inside Syria but tens of thousands remain under siege, he also mentioned.
Some 12.5 million Syrians have been displaced internally and across Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, due to the conflict in their country that has just entered its fifth year.
Kuwait I and II in 2013 and 2014 raised collective international pledges from nations and NGOs worth a total USD 3.9 billion - USD 1.5 billion and USD 2.4 billion respectively.
Of these pledges, Kuwait donated a collective USD 800 million, including USD 300 million and USD 500 million.

Two other UN officials have stressed the importance of aid-pledging talks in Kuwait for "the largest displacement crisis in the world" in Syria.
"The plight of Syrians will get worse unless we get access to people in need and invest in shoring up Syrian livelihoods and resilience," they said in a joint statement.
The statement, issued by Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria and Kevin Kennedy, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, described the conflict which began in March 2011 as "one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes of our generation.
"On the 31st of March, the international community will once again gather in Kuwait for the third pledging conference. We will ask for the support of our donors to enable us to continue finding ways to support the Syrian people and the host communities, whose resources have been stretched to the maximum," they added.
"With every passing year, Syria has delivered unprecedented levels of tragedy," it said. "The warring parties may not have stopped the killing, but the humanitarian community has been in Syria trying to afford assistance to civilians where it can.
"Nearly half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes - 7.6 million have been internally displaced and 3.9 million have fled to neighbouring countries - making this the largest displacement crisis in the world," they added.
They went on to call for a political solution to the ongoing crisis which has entered a fifth year. "But at the same time, we need to re-focus attention to the plight of the victims, ensure greater access to those in need and proactively explore ways to strengthen the coping mechanisms of the Syrian people to prevent further displacement and suffering.
"As humanitarians, we are dedicated to saving lives, alleviating suffering and preserving the dignity of those in need. Against great odds and at great risk to their lives, humanitarians are doing what they can to hold the line in Syria and protect the country's social fabric.
Amid their humanitarian efforts the officials noted to the "great cost" of losing 72 humanitarian workers, including 42 from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
They also noted to the great difficulties in reaching remote areas within Syria which are being "hampered by insecurity and a profound lack of respect for the principles of international humanitarian law.
"It is unacceptable that 440,000 people suffer the daily misery of living under siege. Parties to the conflict must urgently do more to facilitate access to civilians in line with their obligations under international law and Security Council Resolutions 2139, 2165 and 2191," underlined the statement.
Humanitarian efforts must remain focused on "ensuring that life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches all Syrians in need, especially those in besieged areas where the needs are highest." The statement also pointed to the need to "meaningfully shore up livelihoods and basic services such as health, education and water wherever possible through longer term interventions.
"The humanitarian community is committed to continue working in support of Syrians in need as they continue to carry the brunt of this conflict. Humanitarian action will continue to save lives and sustain communities but will not solve the root cause of this conflict. The solution must be a political one and must come fast," concluded the statement.
The head of a Turkish relief organization said he was "profoundly grateful" for Kuwait's consistent support of Syrian refugees, as it prepares to host a third round of global aid-pledging talks in three years.
Ahead of Kuwait III, he said His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's UN Humanitarian Leader and Kuwait's UN Humanitarian Centre awards were fully justified due to efforts in Syria, Africa and Asia.
Kuwait is well-known for its humanitarian initiatives and is one of the few nations that stood alongside the Syrian people in their plight, said the head of Turkey's Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) Fehmi Bulent Yildirim. It has taken huge steps in assuring the reach of support to refugees.
The head of the Istanbul-based IHH, which was behind the aid flotilla which had attempted to breach the Israeli siege on Gaza, praised humanitarian coordination between Turkey and Kuwait as being one of the best forms of this globally.
The two together have provided thousands of tonnes of urgent food assistance, repaired schools and "provided healthcare to people affected by chemical attacks," he said.
After reaching a few thousands at the time of Kuwait I, Syrian refugees have reached astonishing numbers exceeding 10 million (12 million in precise).

Head of the Jordanian Red Crescent Dr. Mohammad Al-Hadeed said Kuwait's hosting of the Third International Pledging Conference for the Syrian people reflected the Gulf state's global humanitarian role.
Kuwait will always remain a global humanitarian leader and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has rightly deserved the UN's "Humanitarian Leader" title, Al-Hadeed told KUNA in a statement.
The UN selection of Kuwait to be a "Humanitarian Center" is an honor for every Arab citizen working in the humanitarian field, he added, and said Jordanian Red Crescent was proud of its partnership with Kuwait Red Crescent Society since the Syrian crisis broke out in March 2011.
"This partnership began when the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society answered our call and started offering aid for the Syrian refugees in Jordan," said Al-Hadeed.
He said there were 25,000 families benefitting from humanitarian assistance like food, health service, clothes for winter season and daily portions of bread for 7,500 Syrian families.
"Kuwait Red Crescent shared the big burden in helping the Syrian refugees in Jordan," he noted.
Al-Hadeed said he attended the second aid-pledging conference for the Syrian people in Kuwait in January 2014, and experienced the massive Kuwaiti support when the Gulf state contributed USD 500 million.
"The action and guidance of His Highness the Amir to alleviate suffering of victims and weak are just another example of his leadership," he said.
For his part, Chairman of Kuwait Patients Help Society Dr. Mohammad Al-Sharhan said Kuwait played an important role in supporting humanitarian causes around the globe, and the country's "wise leadership" has always supported relief operations in disaster-hit areas worldwide.
Al-Sharhan said the Third International Pledging Conference to help the Syrian people was another evidence of the humanitarian leadership of His Highness the Amir.
"We as NGOs specialized in medical relief were not far from aiding the Syrian refugees ... but at the fore of societies working to alleviate suffering of the wounded Syrians ...," said Al-Sharhan in a statement to KUNA.
The Patients Helping Fund Society has set up hundreds of medical projects in Syria, like mobile clinics and field hospitals, and sent ambulances, distributed thousands of first-aid kits, hundreds of thousands of baby milk cans in addition to treating the wounded in hospitals in neighboring countries, he said.
Al-Sharhan said the society was determined to continue its assistance to the needy, with the help of philanthropists in Kuwait.
Al-Sharhan thanked His Highness the Amir for his humanitarian initiatives, which contributed to the UN honoring him as a "Humanitarian Leader" and Kuwait as a "Humanitarian Center." Ahmad Al-Saleh, head of the Zakat House affirmed that Kuwait's affirmative response to the UN in hosting aid-pledging talks for a third year backs the UN decision to name the gulf nation a Humanitarian Centre.
This title, along with the title of Humanitarian Leader given to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, did not come easily, said Al-Saleh in a statement.
Both titles, handed out for the first time by UN chief Ban Ki-moon himself, were awarded thanks to His Highness the Amir's continuous and generous efforts which had a profound effect on supporting victims of many a conflict or natural hazard, he said.
"Kuwait has become a leading example in humanitarian and charitable work," he said. Throughout its history it has been synonymous with such endeavours.
Hospitality and generosity are two well-known traits of the Kuwaiti people, he said.
Since the start of the conflict in March, 2011, the Kuwaiti people have generously contributed many aid convoys to the cause carrying food and urgent supplies, he added.
He proclaimed His Highness the Amir "the number one supporter" of the Syrian people after hosting international humanitarian donor conferences for Syrian refugees in 2013, 2014 and as scheduled on March 31, 2015.
The two past events which hosted governments, international organisations, funds and NGO charity and humanitarian bodies raised a total USD 3.9 billion in aid pledges, including USD 1.5 billion and USD 2.4 billion respectively.
Among these pledges, Zakat House contributed KD 5.54 million (USD 18.5 million), directed at refugees in Lebanon (KD 2.110 million), Turkey (KD 320,000) and Jordan (KD 495,000), along with another KD 2.61 million (USD 8.7 million).

The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) hoped Kuwait III would establish long-term partnerships between donors and global charities to give hope for people in Syria, specially children.
"We are at the threshold of the Third International Conference which aims at getting financial pledges for the humanitarian efforts related to the Syrian crisis.
"This conference is hosted by His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who offered a generous support for the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the past," ICRC said in a report, sent to KUNA, ahead of the March 31 International Pledging Conference for the Syrian people.
If the conference succeeded in establishing long-term partnerships between the donors and the IFRC, said the report, "this will be another sign of hope for every child born in any part of this region." The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011 and is already in its fifth year now. The bloody crisis killed more than 220,000 people and wounded many more others. It also forced some seven million people to be internally displaced and four million others refugees in neighboring countries.
The ICRC has been struggling to honor needs of the Syrian people in different parts of the country, particularly in the northern cit of Aleppo, where the ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent were joining hands to provide power generators for the area's only children hospital thus providing electricity for incubators housing newborns.
Volunteers challenged the snipers on roof tops to help restore electricity in the city, said ICRC. It was very risky but "saved many people." No one can deprive a couple from having babies, even in Syria, but the horizons in the conflict-ridden country for every child are "grim and dark." In Aleppo, for example, a child will grow up surrounded by rubble caused by months of fierce fighting, and this childآ’s nights would be marred with sounds of shells and bullets.
IF this child manages to escape outside the country, said the ICRC, he would join four million refugees in neighboring countries or be among seven million people searching for safe havens within conflict-torn Syria.
ICRC pointed out that the medical services are declining, the economy is devastated already, more people are losing jobs everyday, hospitals were either closed or destroyed and the doctors were either killed or fled. This is added to daily suffering of every family, food and water shortage.
IFRC teams were working hard to fix water pumps, distribute fresh drinking water bottles for 16 million Syrians and importing power cables to replace the damaged ones.
ICRC said between 70,000-100,000 people in Aleppo have their limps amputated since the beginning of the conflict, each of them need a physical and psychological rehabilitation, thus there were needs for wheelchairs and artificial limps.
ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent will have two large clinics by summer to provide treatment and artificial limps, noted the report.
IFRC has been leading negotiations with all parties in Syria with the objective of providing assistance for the needy inside the country and in refugee camps in neighboring nations.
Governments and citizens of neighboring countries have been very generous with the refugees who only want this conflict to end as fast as possible so they can go back to their homes.
"However the conflict will not stop tomorrow and we are now planning for long-term, and expect intensive humanitarian work for at least five years," said the ICRC report. (end) kt.bs