RIYADH, 21 December 2004 — Marking its 59th anniversary, the United Nations office in Riyadh hosted a reception at the Diplomatic Quarter here.
The event highlighted the depth of collaboration between the UN agencies and the Saudi government which goes back to the early fifties when the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) started offering services for the government in various fields such as education, agriculture, health, transportation, civil aviation, commerce and industry.
The reception included a photo exhibition of a rare selection of pictures that shows the most important moments between the organization and the Kingdom.
El-Mostafa Benlamlih, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Kingdom said that “All UN agencies have accomplished great results in their collaboration with the Saudi government, but unfortunately we haven’t highlighted those efforts in a manner that shows the very positive role of the UN in all Arab countries in general.
“We are trying to focus on this matter going ahead from human development which we took as a goal for us to reach around the world,” added Benlamlih. All UN organizations participated in the event by putting on display their goals and activities. They included the World Health Organization (WHO) , UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
One of the most important collaboration programs is the one between the UNDP and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs regarding the forthcoming municipal elections. UNDP offered technical and consultancy services that did not include any kind of administration or observation. “The UN supported the great efforts of the Saudi government toward human development in different fields. Our worldwide groups of consultants were always ready to assist in all specialties. We have been collaborating with the Saudi government regarding the elections, but our role remains in the technical and consultation matters,” he explained.
Other human development programs included a collaboration program with King Khaled Charitable Foundation to eradicate poverty in Qalwa governorate of Al-Baha region and a collaboration program with the National Society for Human Rights.
