By Ali Al-Herz
KUWAIT, March 30 (KUNA) -- UN officials have commended Kuwait's distinguished humanitarian role in alleviating suffering of Syrian refugees, saying the Arab Gulf country has always rushed to help the needy people suffering from crises and conflicts worldwide.
The officials, in different statements to KUNA, noted the UN agencies' efforts and projects inside Syria and in neighboring countries to help millions of Syrian people.
"I have not seen any state that hosts three consecutive conferences with this size to support a humanitarian cause," Dr. Mubashar Sheikh, UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Coordinator, Kuwait, said.
He commended the support of Kuwait's leadership and people for some 12.5 million Syrian refugees, who were either internally displaced or refugees in neighboring countries.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah "is a role model we should all follow due to the humanitarian leadership he has shown over the past years, particularly hosting the International Pledging Conference supporting the humanitarian situation in Syria for the third year running," he said.
The Syrian crisis has entered its fifth year and left some four million refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt, as well as forcing eight million IDPs, he said, "all in dire need for food, water and basic living needs." Sheikh, underlining importance of the political solution for the Syrian crisis, said the major challenge facing the UN humanitarian efforts was to providing safe and stable environment for the refugees.
Another challenge, he added, was helping the neighboring countries who were suffering from influx of refugees thus causing severe strain on their economies. He cited provision of shelter, food and water, medical and educational services.
The UNDP has focused in the past few years to develop capabilities of host communities in neighboring countries, like the improvement of infrastructure, construction of schools and hospitals, he said.
Sheikh noted that donors met in Germany last December and appealed for the UN to provide USD 8.4 billion for Syrians - IDPS and refugees. However, he said, "it is not necessary to collect the entire amount in Kuwait." He hoped Kuwait III would be a chance to raise sufficient pledges by the donors and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Eman Erekat, Head of the International Organization of Migration, said IOM's partnership with Kuwait has been progressing since the IOM established a mission in Kuwait in 1991, and signature of cooperation agreement three years later.
"Kuwait's generous support affirms this partnership through the execution of many projects, not only in Kuwait but to help victims of the Syrian crisis inside Syria and in neighboring countries ..., reflecting the growing importance of our partnership," she said.
Kuwait's help enables IOM to provided assistance to over 1.2 million IDPS and refugees, mostly women and children, at the Turkish borders in September 2014, she said.
Erekat said IOM was providing artificial limps, medical equipment and mobile clinics for the internally displaced, as well as transportation means for refugees living in camps to get them to health facilities and schools.
IOM, she added, was also active in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
For her part, Director of the UN refugee agency's (UNHCR) office in Kuwait, Nadiya Hamdan, said Kuwait hosting of the donors' conference was crucially important because of growing needs of the IPDs and refugees.
She said Kuwait's assistance over the past two years was life-saver for more than 3.5 million refugees in neighboring countries.
Hamdan said the international organizations and UNHCR launched a regional plan to boost capabilities to provide services for the Syrian people in 2015-16, appealing for USD 5.5 billion for refugees in neighboring countries and USD 2.9 billion for IDPs.
Representative of the World Food Prgram (WFP) Omar Al-Essa said Kuwait was one of the biggest donors for WFP since the Syrian crisis broke out in March 2011.
Kuwait provided USD 77 million for WFP's emergency operations inside Syria and in neighboring countries, he said, and noted that WFP was providing food for around 80 million people in 75 countries, including six million Syrians.
UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is also playing a key role in organizing Kuwait III, and has helped in securing payment of more than 90 percent of the USD 2.4 billion pledges announced at Kuwait II in 2014.
Kuwait III will feature participation of 78 countries and more than 40 international organizations. It followed the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir as "Humanitarian Leader" and Kuwait as "Humanitarian Center," in a ceremony in New York last September.
Kuwait hosted two events in 2013 and 2014 which raised pledges worth a total USD 3.9 billion - USD 1.5 billion and USD 2.4 billion respectively - from international donors aimed at alleviating their suffering.
At both, Kuwait donated a collective USD 800 million, including USD 300 million and USD 500 million. (end) hrz.mmb.tb.bs