At UN, Kuwaiti leader affirms importance of scaling up aid as crises persist in Middle East

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly today, Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, the Prime Minister of Kuwait, affirmed his country’s commitment to promoting the existence of peaceful societies and highlighted the “serious challenges” facing Yemen, Syria, Libya and Iraq.

He noted the high level of humanitarian assistance offered by Kuwait, and said that the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development “continues its leading role in providing development assistance to developing countries, without regard to geographical locations, religious beliefs or nationality,” adding that it has also allocated “the amount of $15 billion to meet the entitlements and requirements of sustainable development.”

The Prime Minister also stressed the necessity of sustainable development to security and peace efforts.

“The importance of undertaking the necessary efforts and actions by the international community to consolidate and promote the existence of peaceful societies, based on the foundations of justice and freedom from all manifestations of violence and radicalism, is undoubtedly, a confirmation of the principle, that there can be no sustainable development without security, and no security without sustainable development,” he said.

Turning his attention to the Middle East, he spoke on the crisis facing Yemen.

“The Republic of Yemen and its brotherly people face serious challenges due to the intransigence of the Houthi militias, their insistence on breaching their commitments, and threatening the security and stability of our region and our countries,” he said.

Sheikh Jaber added that Kuwait had contributed $100 million to help meet the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people.

Regarding Syria, the Kuwaiti Prime Minister said that he believed that “the solution of this disaster can only be achieved through political peaceful means” and that his country had hosted three international donor conferences, which had collected a total of $7.15 billion, including $1.3 billion from Kuwait.

He also noted that Kuwait was following developments in Libya regarding the formation of a national consensus government, and said that it looked forward to a stop to the bloodshed and a restoration of security and stability.

Sheikh Jaber also addressed the actions of terrorist groups in the Middle East.

“Our region faces exceptionally delicate dangers that threaten its security and stability, as a result of the phenomenon of terrorism and violence, which has made Islam its slogan to commit its criminal acts rejected by all divine religions,” he said.

“The brutal crimes committed by the so called ‘Da’esh [also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL], spreading death and destruction, particularly in Iraq and Syria, constitute a threat to international peace and security,” he added.

He also reiterated Kuwait’s rejection of all forms of terrorism, radicalization and intolerance and the importance of a “universal strategy to combat terrorism, which aims to achieve international peace and security.”