KSrelief chief calls for expansion of global humanitarian donor base

KSrelief chief calls for expansion of global humanitarian donor base
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KSrelief Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah (center) with other panelists at 2nd European Humanitarian Forum. (Supplied)
KSrelief chief calls for expansion of global humanitarian donor base
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KSrelief Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah (center) with other panelists at 2nd European Humanitarian Forum. (Supplied)
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Updated 22 March 2023

KSrelief chief calls for expansion of global humanitarian donor base

KSrelief chief calls for expansion of global humanitarian donor base
  • Only a small number of donors fund over 80% of aid operations around the world, says Al-Rabeeah

RIYADH: Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that only a small number of donors fund over 80 percent of humanitarian operations around the world, calling upon other countries to help expand the donor base to meet growing needs.

Speaking at a session titled “Soaring humanitarian needs and limited resources: Engaging emerging donors and new sources of financing” at the European Humanitarian Forum, which is being held in Brussels March 20-22, Al-Rabeeah stressed the importance of expanding the donor base for global humanitarian action.

It is important to expand that base to reduce the cost for donors, Al-Rabeeah said, calling for intensified efforts on the part of countries, institutions and the private sector to finance global humanitarian action.

Al-Rabeeah recalled the generous directive of King Salman to involve the private sector in financing worldwide humanitarian work and task the center with launching campaigns in response to humanitarian crises, noting that the center supports international humanitarian action and UN institutions.

Saudi Arabia, in partnership with the World Food Programme, annually carries out a campaign worth over $136 million, gifting dates to 72 countries, Al-Rabeeah said.

KSrelief also supported the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing vaccines, medical supplies and financial support.

Al-Rabeeah noted that the Kingdom is chair of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ donor group for 2022-2023, adding that Saudi Arabia has been active in contacting donors, mobilizing their support for OCHA, and working with the group to expand the donor base and provide solutions to humanitarian problems.

At the forum in the Belgian capital, KSrelief showcased its humanitarian work in 90 countries. The center’s pavilion featured projects involving food security, health, safety, emergency relief, education and shelter for the displaced.

It also showcased KSrelief’s reach to beneficiaries through air and land bridges and its projects implemented in Yemen, including the Masam project to clear the country of mines, an initiative to rehabilitate child soldiers and the establishment of a center for prosthetics.

On the sidelines of the forum, Al-Rabeeah met with EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. 

The two officials discussed issues related to humanitarian and relief affairs, and ways to develop them, as well as the key topics touched upon in the forum.

Lenarcic commended Saudi Arabia’s active participation in the forum and the donors’ conference for people affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkiye, highlighting KSrelief’s efforts in supporting humanitarian aid worldwide.

Haifa Al-Jedea, ambassador and head of the Saudi mission to the EU, also attended the meeting.


Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space
Updated 35 sec ago

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space
  • Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Saudi Arabian and Arab woman to go into space

DUBAI: Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni are scheduled to return to Earth late Tuesday after spending eight days on the International Space Station (ISS), where they conducted a series of science experiments.

Barnawi, the first Saudi Arabian and Arab woman to go into space, and AlQarni arrived at the space station on May 22 as part of the private AX-2 mission launched by Axiom Space.

TIMELINE: AX-2 mission’s return to Earth

“The four-member multinational astronaut crew is scheduled to undock no earlier than 3:05 p.m. (GMT) Tuesday, May 30, from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to begin the journey home and splashdown off the coast of Florida,” a NASA statement said.

“Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, both representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will complete approximately nine days in space at the conclusion of their mission. Their SpaceX Dragon will return to Earth with more than 300 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 20 different experiments,” the statement added.

NASA will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of AX-2 mission from the ISS, while Axiom Space will livestream the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s re-entry and splashdown on the company’s website.

The Axiom Mission-2 and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together during dinner time aboard the International Space Station. (NASA)

During their eight-day stay at the space station, the Saudi astronauts did a series of experiments, among them a heat transmission study with Saudi students across the Kingdom concerning the space station’s microgravity and earth.

“Results have shown that heat travels slower in space than it does on earth,” a report from state news agency SPA said.

A space kite experiment that involved 12,000 11- to 13-year-old middle school students from 47 schools across Saudi Arabia was also conducted through a live video feed with the space-bound Saudis.

The Ax-2 astronauts on Monday joined the Expedition 69 crew members for a joint farewell ceremony.

In 1985, air force pilot Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz took part in a US-organized space voyage, becoming the first Saudi in space.


King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
Updated 30 May 2023

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
  • Focus on research, holding summits, exhibitions, workshops
  • ‘Aim to boost Kingdom as global tourist, culture destination’

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the Boutique Group, owned by the Public Investment Fund, have signed a memorandum of understanding to preserve the Kingdom’s “captivating history and legacy,” the group announced on Monday.

The agreement will cover research and the holding of various events, including on culture, literature and geography, at Tuwaiq Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The memorandum was signed by CEO Turki Al-Showair on behalf of the foundation, also known as Darah, and CEO Mark DeCocinis, for the Boutique Group.

It includes collaboration on “scientific studies and research on the history of palaces and the essence of royal hospitality,” the Boutique Group said in a statement.

The deal includes holding summits, exhibitions and workshops, and spreading awareness through advertising, media campaigns and artworks.

Al-Showair said: “The Kingdom is proceeding on the path of rapid and deliberate development and progress, in accordance with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its inspiring programs.”

 

 

The agreement “aims to support the Boutique Group by providing reliable and steady historical content, in a way that contributes to preserving the Kingdom’s heritage.”

He said the pact was part of the Darah foundation’s commitment to fulfill its mission of serving the Kingdom through the preservation and publication of all relevant documentation.

Al-Showair said it would serve to introduce the country’s “glorious history and heritage rooted in the national identity that everyone cherishes.”

DeCocinis said the Kingdom has a rich, largely unexplored cultural history, which the deal would now make more widely available to the world.

The Boutique Group was set up to provide an authentic Saudi experience that contributes to supporting the local economy. Its mandate is to further enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global tourist destination by developing “historic and cultural palaces, and royal residences, into ultra-luxury boutique hotels.”


KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Updated 30 May 2023

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon
  • KSrelief’s Arsal Medical Center in Baalbek delivered 9,456 services to 4,186 patients in April

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency has continued providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees and the host community in Lebanon.

The Arsal Medical Center in Baalbek, operating under King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), delivered 9,456 services to 4,186 patients in April.

“This initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment, represented by KSrelief, to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, particularly Syrian refugees, to alleviate their suffering in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis they are facing,” state news agency SPA reported.

The aid agency continued its surgical voluntary program in Cameroon’s Maroua where 22 volunteer doctors have so far examined 605 cases and performed 303 operations.

The program, held in collaboration with Al-Balsam International Organization, will run until June 2.

In Yemen, KSrelief concluded its voluntary medical project for specialized clinics in family medicine, preventive medicine, and dermatology.

As part of the project, which took place in Mukalla from May 21 to May 28, KSrelief’s volunteer medical team served 1,794 individuals in the family medicine and preventive medicine clinics, and 1,079 individuals in the dermatology clinics.


Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week
Updated 30 May 2023

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Masam project dismantled 875 mines, planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, in the last week of May.

Overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), a specialist team removed 11 anti-personnel mines, 165 anti-tank mines, 686 unexploded ammunition, and 13 explosive devices, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

In Aden, the team dismantled three anti-personnel mines, 11 anti-tank mines, 519 unexploded ammunition, and seven explosive devices.

The ongoing project aims to clear Yemeni lands of mines and save people’s lives, said the SPA statement.


Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops
Updated 30 May 2023

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

RIYADH: The Saudi Armed Forces launched a joint exercise on Sunday with the participation of forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US, the Kingdom’s defense ministry announced on Monday.
The “Eagle Resolve 23” drill, which was launched at the Air Warfare Center in the Eastern Province, aims to enhance military cooperation, exchange expertise in the field of missile air defense and unify planning and implementation of procedures.
It will also consolidate the principles and foundations of coordination for joint action to reach a required operational compatibility and integration, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Brig. Gen. Uqab bin Awad Al-Mutairi, the commander of the duty force in the joint exercise, said the forces participating in the exercise will implement a number of theoretical and practical exercises, including air and missile operations with live ammunition, defensive counter-air operations, air-to-air refueling operations, and surface-to-naval warfare operations, electronic warfare, naval incursions, defense against weapons of mass destruction and mass casualties.
He added that the exercise is being implemented for the first time in the Kingdom, where preparatory meetings and academic lectures for the exercise began last week.
Prior to that, eight conferences were also held, seven of which were in Riyadh and another in Tampa, Florida in the US.