RIYADH: Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that Saudi Arabia ranked first among donor countries in offering official development assistance (humanitarian and development) to low and medium-income countries, with a total of SR26.71 billion ($7.12 billion), according to data published by Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The data showcased the official 2021 development assistance offered by donor countries — member states and states with associate memberships at DAC, where the Paris-based committee is considered the biggest forum.
In a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency on Monday, Al-Rabeeah said that this assistance constitutes 1.05 percent of Saudi Arabia’s gross national income.
He added that by this proportion the Kingdom has topped the donor countries and surpassed the target approved by the UN General Assembly in October 1970 that donor countries should allocate a 0.7 percent of their gross national income as official development assistance while seeking innovative sources of financing development in developing countries.
KSrelief is exerting relentless efforts to register Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian and development assistance in the Saudi Aid Platform launched by King Salman in 2018, where assistance is documented in cooperation with relevant Saudi ministries and departments to highlight the Kingdom’s humanitarian and development identity, he said.
Al-Rabeeah expressed appreciation for the efforts of these agencies in documenting and recording the assistance provided by Saudi Arabia to the countries of the world through international platforms in accordance with internationally approved standards.
“The directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have contributed to this big achievement that put Saudi Arabia at the top of international humanitarian action,” he said.
Concluding his speech, Al-Rabeeah extended his appreciation and gratitude to the Kingdom’s leadership for its unlimited support and concern for humanitarian action, which ensure Saudi Arabia maintains its prestigious global status in this field.
