This handout photo released by Kuwait Red Crescent Society shows refugees collecting aid during a campaign organized by KRCS.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) called yesterday for supporting refugees around the world, providing them with protection, health, educational and social care. In a statement to the press marking World Refugee Day, KRCS Chairman Dr Hilal Al-Sayer, said Kuwait's contribution to helping refugees around the world was clear by responding to humanitarian crises in various parts of the world to alleviate the suffering of millions of refugees.

Assistance provided by Kuwait via governmental and non-governmental institutions confirms the importance of its role in international humanitarian work to serve refugees all over the world, he added in a statement. KRCS works with the refugees for better living and future, especially for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Rohingya in Bangladesh, Sayer said.

With the increase in the number of refugees around the world, the human suffering they are experiencing exacerbated, Sayer added, as he called organizations and authorities in the world to quickly establish a specialized body to spread awareness among the refugees. Sayer stressed KRCS, through its partners in Kuwait Fund for Economic Development, is ready to provide support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and to continue providing support to the displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh.

This handout photo released by Kuwait Red Crescent Society shows people collecting aid during a campaign organized by KRCS to aid Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Kuwait fund's contributions

The State of Kuwait has been a major contributor to humanitarian aid, coordinating with UN agencies and organizations working in humanitarian, refugees and human rights affairs to help those in need around the globe. Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has been at the forefront in executing humanitarian initiatives to provide quality assistance to refugees, offering 106 grants with a total of $1.304 million up until fiscal year 2019-20.

The fund, in a report marking the 50th World Refugee Day, said the humanitarian contribution was part of Kuwait government's international obligations to help refugees who were forced to flee their homes because of wars and conflicts. It said it offered assistance to Palestinian, Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni and Myanmar's refugees in host countries, in addition to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Bangladesh. The fund, it said, initiated solid partnerships with UN agencies and national organizations to improve living and health conditions of people in need.

Housing and education

Citing examples of the contributions, KFAED said it funded a UNHCR project to improve infrastructure of housing facilities of Syrian refugees in Iraq's Kurdistan region and in Lebanon. It also financed projects of UN Palestinian refugees agency (UNRWA) in Gaza Strip, which included construction of schools. It co-financed a campaign to raise awareness against coronavirus inside Syria.

KFAED, it added, contributed to cancer treatment centers in Lebanon and Jordan. It joined hands with Kuwait Red Crescent Society to offer logistical assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The aid included building 1,200 housing units and 1,200 packages, which included blankets, kitchenware and solar power lights, in addition to constructing schools, mosques and health centers. Kuwait also hosted international conferences to help people in Syria and Iraq, during which donors pledged billions of US dollars. - KUNA