Saudi Arabia and U.N. Collaborate on Yemen Aid

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and the United Nations recently held a round of meetings to discuss the allocation of Saudi pledged aid to Yemen. The two parties were represented by Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah advisor at the Royal Court and general supervisor for the King Salman Center, and Stephen O'Brien, under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In April, Saudi Arabia pledged the entire $274 million sought by the U.N. for emergency assistance in Yemen.

In a press statement, Raafat Al-Sabbagh, official spokesman for the King Salman Center, said that the parties were able to decide how and where the aid would be delivered, stressing that any plan needs to be implemented rapidly and efficiently. The aid will be allocated to the following U.N. affiliated organizations:

• $142.8 million to the World Food Program
• $31.1 million to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
• $29.6 million to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• $22.6 million to the World Health Organization
• $8 million to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• $5.8 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization
• $2.5 million to the U.N. Population Fund
• $1.7 million to the U.N. Development Program
• $525,000 to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Allocation of the remaining funds will be determined at a later date in coordination with the King Salman Center and the U.N. All humanitarian aid will be provided in consultation with the legitimate government of Yemen.

During the inauguration of the King Salman Center in May, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced Saudi Arabia will donate an additional $267 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen, for a total of more than $540 million.

SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office