KUWAIT: Nisreen Rubaian, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mission in Kuwait, has lauded the partnership with Kuwait and other government departments as well as local associations in the country to address the requirements of people in need.

"Kuwait is a live example of how we can be in solidarity with people in need," she said, while speaking at an Islamic charitable gathering for refugees and the displaced, held at the UN House in the country.

"There has been an increase in the funds we receive from Islamic charitable organizations, accounting for almost 92 percent of our contributions," she said. Up to 800,000 persons in several countries, namely Mauritania, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India have benefited from the Kuwaiti donations, the UN representative added. The UNHCR published a bi-annual report about Islamic charities, shedding light on the impact of these contributions on peoples' life.

Meanwhile, Tareq Al-Yassin, the representative of the Ambassador Hamad Al-Meshaan, the Assistant Foreign Minister for Development and International Cooperation, said that Kuwait has been designated by the UN as the center for humanitarian action, owing to its eminent status on the global map of humanitarian aid. Al-Yassin added that the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been helping to boost the Kuwaiti associations' partnerships with international agencies for helping the needy and securing assistance for remote regions of the globe.

Khaled Khalifa, the UNHCR regional representative said that the bi-annual report, released during the event, chronicles the UNHCR's activities between Jan and June 2022, during which 1,200 million people had been aided. Since this program's launch in 2019, more than 5.5 million people have received assistance. Dr Majed Al-Azmi, the representative of the Minister of Awqaf, diplomats, representatives of international and regional agencies also attended the event. - KUNA