UNHCR praises Saudi Arabia’s efforts for refugees

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSRelief, and Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the GCC Countries at a press conference. (File photo / UNHCR)

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s approach to refugees is a model of linking Islamic values and humanitarian action, a UN official said on Monday.
Khaled Khalifa, the UN Refugee Agency’s Regional Representative to the GCC Countries, used the Kingdom’s 88th National Day to outline several humanitarian achievements in the country, SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia has contributed more than SR1 billion ($270 million) in the last 10 years to UNHCR, Khalifa said.
This year, Saudi Arabia’s total contribution to UNHCR’s programs totalled SR216 million, making the Kingdom among the top donors in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Khalifa said that the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action (KSRelief) is one of the most important partners of UNHCR, which has provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of refugees around the world during the current year, providing basic relief materials for internally displaced people in Yemen, and emergency support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Also, earlier this month KSRelief has provided direct life-saving assistance to Syrian refugees suffering from kidney failure, by allowing hundreds to receive treatment in Jordan and Lebanon.