Kuwait foreign ministry backs relief efforts

Director of the follow-up and coordination division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Maghames said Tuesday his ministry shoulders the responsibility for backing and protecting the Kuwaiti relief efforts. Kuwait's relief aid to the disaster-hit areas across the world reflect the humanitarian and civilized nature of the country, Al-Maghames said. He made the remarks in the opening speech to the First Kuwait International Forum for Humanitarian Workers, being organized by the Kuwait-based regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the GCC countries in collaboration with the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society, the Direct Aid, the Patients' Help Fund Society, the General Secretariat of Endowment, Zakat House and Rahma International Society, at the headquarters of the International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO). "The aim of the two-day gathering is to discuss current challenges and principles relating to humanitarian work, coordinate the relief efforts and share experience," Al-Maghames said. He appreciated the contributions of the IICO to the humanitarian work on the local and international scales over the last three decades since its foundation at the behest of late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. "The Foreign Ministry encourages the local fund-raising agencies to work and share experience with the ICRC's regional delegation in order to maximize benefit from humanitarian work," Ambassador Al-Maghames pointed out. "Our ambitions go beyond organizing conferences, courses and workshops to building true partnerships with the international aid agencies in order to carry out major local and international relief projects and deliver the noble message of the charitable organizations," he went on. "The State of Kuwait was selected as an international center for humanitarian work two years after hosting the First International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria and the honoring of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah by the UN for his humanitarian initiatives worldwide. "The IICO Chairman Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq, of Kuwait, was named as special envoy the UN Secretary General for humanitarian affairs in recognition of sincere efforts in this domain," the senior diplomat affirmed. Ambassador Al-Maghames added that the Foreign Ministry will be holding a workshop in collaboration with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Kuwait later this month to discuss with major donors the urgent needs of the aid recipient communities. Meanwhile, the IICO Director General Dr. Othman Al-Hajji stressed, on behalf of Dr. Al-Maatouq, the importance of "consolidating the communication and consultation bridges among various humanitarian actors in order to meet the increasing needs of the victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters. "The humanitarian disasters that hit the Middle East in the recent years highlighted the need of supporting the partnership efforts among the aid agencies and made the collective efforts a strategic option," he said. "The Kuwaiti charities realized this fact at an early date, thus forming the joint Kuwaiti relief commission in 1987 in order to coordinate aid for the victims of the flash flooding in Bangladesh at that time," he recalled. Dr. Al-Hajji added that the ongoing forum is an important step towards building a partnership among all actors in the humanitarian field in order to realize their common targets. On his part, Gerard Peytrignet, head of the ICRC's regional delegation, said: "The forum gives humanitarians an opportunity to openly discuss and share views about the present and future of humanitarian work and about topics such as the role of women and youth in this field." The forum provides an opportunity to share ideas and exchange views on best practices in the humanitarian field and to strengthen coordination among local and international humanitarian organizations, he noted. "The basic principles of humanitarian work and the relevance of codes of conduct in implementing field programs will also be discussed," Peytrignet added. On a similar note, Secretary General of the Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation (KAPF) Dr. Abdulmohsen AL-Kharafi said the forum will emphasize on Kuwait's leading role in the field of humanitarian aid and its solidarity with victims of conflicts, crises and other emergencies, a role that was highlighted at the international donor conferences on Syria in 2013 and 2014. "Alongside with Zakat (alms), Awqaf (endowment) is the second wind of the Islamic financial system. The KAPF and the Zakat House coordinate the Kuwaiti relief efforts for the Muslims and other needy people across the world, thus reflecting the wonderful aspect of the Islamic civilization," Dr. Al-Kharafi affirmed. "The KAPF takes pride in providing aid not only for not only needy Muslims but any disaster-hit communities worldwide; it has set aside a medical budget amounting to KD 650,000 for any emergency in the world," he revealed. On his part, Director General of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRSC) Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Oun said Kuwait, through the KRCS, plays an eminent role in alleviating the suffering of victims of the natural and man-made disasters. Chairman of the Social Reform Society (Islah) Humoud Hamad Al-Roumi said the State of Kuwait is proud of a long history of humanitarian word which is backed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Over the last 30 years, Islah and its Rahma International Society have developed a vision for humanitarian aid that going beyond delivering aid to rehabilitation of disaster-hit areas and launching development projects to eradicate poverty and famine, Al-Roumi added. The forum gathers over 100 representatives of government and non-government local and international fund-raising agencies and Islamic charities; on its sidelines a number of workshops and lectures will be held. ICRC's regional delegation covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; it focuses on the incorporation of international humanitarian law into national legislation and military training in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, on the protection of detainees and on humanitarian concerns arising from the 1990-91 Gulf War.