Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 7, 2024
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and the United Kingdom successfully concluded their Strategic Dialogue on International Development and Humanitarian Assistance with a high-level plenary session on 7 May 2024.
The Dialogue, spanning two days of engaging discussions, served as a platform to address pressing global challenges in humanitarian aid and development.
During the Dialogue, key outcomes and agreements were reached:
• Promotion of Joint Initiatives: Agreements were made to support the world’s most vulnerable, including those suffering in Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, and Bangladesh. Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom will continue to strengthen their humanitarian relationship with a side event at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals: Both nations agreed to a Delivery Framework to align joint aid delivery with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring maximum impact and effectiveness.
• Technical Exchanges and Knowledge Sharing: Agreements were reached to further technical exchanges and share lessons learned, including through mutual hosting of project visits around the world.
• H.E. Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief, and the UK Deputy Foreign Secretary and Minister of State, Rt Hon Andrew MitchellMP, emphasized the importance of further collaboration between the twocountries.
• This Strategic Dialogue underscores the shared commitment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom to address global challenges through coordinated action,thereby strengthening the global development system and advancing progress towards the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
On the Strategic Dialogue, His Excellency Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre (KSrelief), said:
“Looking ahead, we look forward to enhancing our technical experience and capacity-building by building upon the strong foundation established during our previous dialogue, which presents an invaluable opportunity to solidify our future direction, explore new areas of cooperation, and further demonstrate the transformative potential of our partnership.
“Officials from both sides are actively identifying promising opportunities for further collaboration. KSrelief sees immense potential to leverage our respective strengths in areas like health interventions, education infrastructure development, and livelihood creation programs.
Deputy Foreign Secretary and Minister of State (Development and Africa), Andrew Mitchell, added:
“The UK is working with Saudi Arabia and other partners to support those whose lives have been affected by conflict around the world.
“I am delighted to be in Riyadh to agree a way forward to scale up significantly joint funding which will go a long way to supporting those people and communities who need it most, building on today’s announcement in Somalia and looking to further support people in Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, as well the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.”
Saudi Arabia and the UK previously committed to USD 22 million in joint funding, which is already delivering vital assistance in Sudan and Somalia.
ENDS
For further information and media inquiries please contact:
Sarah Almarzuki s.almarzuki@ksrelief.org
About KSrelief: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), established under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, represents Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global humanitarian efforts. Inaugurated in May 2015, the centre operates in over 95 countries on principles of fairness, objectivity, and collaboration with international organizations, focusing on providing aid to those in crisis worldwide.
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