NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia has presented an amount of $500 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as its contribution to support humanitarian work in Yemen. Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), handed a check for the amount to Mark Lowcock, Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator for OCHA, to fund the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP). The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of a conference titled "Humanitarian Situation in Yemen: the Way Forward", featuring statements and input from a number of UN officials and diplomats, including foreign ministers from Saud Arabia and Yemen. According to Lowcock, the single-grant payment will be distributed by OCHA to WFP, WHO, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNHCR, UNDP and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "to support essential priorities in the Yemen Humanitarian Response." High-ranking officials present for the signing included Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Reema Bint Bandar, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN Abdullah Al-Mouallimi, and Secretary General of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen. Following the signing ceremony, Lowcock expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom's generous support. "With today's provision of funds from Saudi Arabia, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan will have received more than $2.3 billion or 56 percent of its requirements for the year. This is substantial progress, and we thank all our donors for their support." Dr. Al-Rabeeah spoke about the goals of KSrelief's strong partnership with the United Nations. "The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre commends the efforts of the United Nations organizations, which share our commitment to alleviating the suffering of the people of Yemen in accordance with international humanitarian laws and principles of neutrality...I assure you that the Kingdom is keen to support all peace initiatives submitted by the UN envoys to Yemen." "The Kingdom has also supports all meaningful and constructive dialogue that supports peace efforts and adopts peaceful solutions in Yemen, such as the Yemen National Dialogue, the Stockholm Agreement and UN Resolution 2216...to ensure the return of peace, security and stability to Yemen, the region and the entire world," he added.
