Arab
Funds Pledge to Raise Over $1bn for
Tsunami Relief
Javid Hassan,
Arab News
RIYADH,
14 January 2005 � Arab financial
institutions and funds concluded their
three-day meeting here with a pledge
to raise over $1 billion in funds and
grants for the victims of tsunami
disaster in South and Southeast Asia. |
In a communiqu�,
representatives of the Arab national and
regional development institutions and funds
expressed their solidarity with the countries
and peoples of the Asian countries affected by
the disaster. The members said besides financial
aid they would undertake national campaigns for
collection of voluntary contributions from the
public to channel aid both in cash and kind to
the disaster-stricken people.
An upshot of the
meeting was the setting up of a coordination
group of Arab national regional development
institutions and funds which would mobilize
their resources and undertake projects as part
of a pan-Arab initiative.
At the meeting,
held under the patronage of Prince Talal ibn
Abdul Aziz, president of AGFUND (Arab Gulf
Program for United Nations Development
Organizations), the coordination group declared
its willingness to fund the reconstruction
programs of the tsunami-hit countries. It will
also cooperate with the UN agencies and other
international organizations working for the
relief and rehabilitation of tsunami victims.
The communique
noted that some member institutions of the group
have started sending delegations to the affected
countries to evaluate the scale of disaster.
These delegations will identify urgent projects
to be supported by these institutions as well as
projects requiring longer gestation periods,
such as reconstruction of educational
institutions, hospitals, water supply systems
and sewerage facilities.
The concluding
session was attended by the eight members of the
group � the Islamic Development Bank, OPEC
Fund for International Development, Abu Dhabi
Fund for Development, Saudi Fund for
Development, Arab Fund for Economic and Social
Development, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic
Development, Arab Bank for Economic Development
in Africa and AGFUND.
In a related
development, Foreign Minister Prince Saud
Al-Faisal met here on Tuesday with the
ambassadors of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) and discussed the issue of
mobilizing emergency assistance to the
earthquake and tsunami victims who have suffered
colossal human and material losses.
Prince Saud
conveyed to the ambassadors the Kingdom�s
keenness to coordinate with and consult the
member countries for mobilizing the relief and
rehabilitation program on a massive scale. The
meeting also dwelt on the mode of assistance to
the 35,000 orphans, victims of the earthquake in
Indonesia.
The ambassadors
welcomed the Kingdom�s humanitarian gesture
and initiative in seeking to alleviate the human
sufferings as well as extending emergency
assistance to the countries devastated by the
killer waves.
SABB Donates
SR1 Million
Saudi British
Bank (SABB) has donated SR1 million in support
of the Kingdom�s relief campaign for tsunami
victims.
Sheikh Abdullah
Al-Hugail, chairman of SABB, said: �The board
has taken the initiative on behalf of the
stakeholders and participated in this campaign
to ensure SABB�s role in supporting
humanitarian campaigns. It is also in line with
the Kingdom�s efforts to provide relief
support wherever needed.�
Originally
published in Arab News, January 14, 2005.
Reprinted with permission.
Related
Items:
SUSRIS Newsletter - On the Web - Tsunami Aid
http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/newsletter2005/saudi-relations-90.html#3
The
World Needs Information
International
Response to the South Asia Disaster
By Khaled Al-Maenna
http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/newsletter2005/saudi-relations-interest-01-13.html
|
