RIYADH: King Salman has been honored by the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO) for his humanitarian efforts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He was awarded the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Medal, which is the highest honor from ARCO and is granted to kings and heads of states in recognition of their work, especially in the Arab world.
The award came during the king’s reception on Wednesday of the secretary-general of ARCO, Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al-Tuwaijri, and was in recognition of the monarch’s efforts to reduce human suffering and an acknowledgment of Saudi Arabia’s pioneering role in the humanitarian field.
VIDEO: Watch #SaudiArabia's King Salman being honored by the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (@arabrcrc) for his humanitarian efforts https://t.co/SYVrWXV7qz pic.twitter.com/JLW3WOdpQJ
— Arab News (@arabnews) January 1, 2020
The king expressed his thanks to everyone from the ARCO delegation, welcoming the organization’s humanitarian work, and wished it success.
Al-Tuwaijri thanked the Kingdom for providing humanitarian, relief and development assistance to those affected by disasters and crises, and for the king’s diplomatic efforts at regional and international levels.
He added that the Kingdom topped the list of donor countries and that it allocated a greater percentage of aid from its national income than other donor countries. Saudi aid exceeded $40 billion during the last 15 years and it had been distributed among 124 countries across all continents, he said in his speech.
The reception was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, State Minister Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, and Minister of Health and chairman of the board of directors at the Saudi Red Crescent Authority Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah.
