Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), has highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening the international humanitarian system and advancing a more integrated approach that connects humanitarian response with development, peacebuilding and long-term resilience.
Al-Rabeeah made the remarks during a series of high-level discussions and meetings held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, focusing on the future of humanitarian action, humanitarian diplomacy and international cooperation in addressing growing global crises.
Speaking at a high-level panel titled “Resetting Humanitarian Action and Responsible Transition: Protecting Resilience and Principled Action,” organized by KSrelief in partnership with the European Union, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Al-Rabeeah said the reform and reset of the humanitarian system under UN leadership should be an opportunity to make it more resilient, efficient and effective.
He stressed the importance of strengthening the links between humanitarian assistance, development and peace, particularly in protracted crises such as those in Yemen, Sudan and Palestine. He noted that KSrelief works closely with local and international partners to promote greater synergy between relief, development and peacebuilding efforts.
Al-Rabeeah pointed out that Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief, has worked with more than 300 partners across more than 110 countries, while also cooperating with key national institutions, including the Saudi Fund for Development, to ensure that humanitarian and development actors are involved from the early stages of intervention and response.
He also emphasized the importance of localization, stressing that international support should complement rather than replace local leadership, while efforts should focus on strengthening local capacities and ensuring effective field operations, particularly in high-risk environments where the role of non-governmental organizations becomes increasingly important.
Al-Rabeeah further underlined the need to ensure that humanitarian assistance does not unintentionally create long-term dependency. He cited KSrelief’s cooperation with the UN Development Programme to rehabilitate more than 30 damaged bakeries across eight areas in Syria, helping restore their operations and increase production capacity to meet local needs.
During another high-level discussion, titled “Humanitarian Diplomacy: From Response to Sustainable Peace,” organized by Devex, Al-Rabeeah highlighted the scale of Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian contribution through KSrelief, which has provided humanitarian assistance worth more than $8.5 billion in over 110 countries through extensive partnerships with UN agencies and international, regional and local humanitarian organizations.
He noted that KSrelief continued its humanitarian operations in Sudan after the withdrawal of the UN mission and its executive presence from the country in 2023, relying on trusted local partners while maintaining cooperation with international humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Al-Rabeeah also highlighted KSrelief’s partnership with All Hands and Hearts to implement a nine-month integrated response project covering food security, livelihoods, health and nutrition, benefiting more than 208,000 people affected by conflict.
He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to linking humanitarian diplomacy with humanitarian action, grounded in respect for international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles, accountability and efforts to support the transition from crisis to resilience and sustainable recovery.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Al-Rabeeah also met with Norway’s Minister of International Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust. The meeting addressed humanitarian and relief issues and opportunities to strengthen cooperation in support of vulnerable and affected communities around the world. The Norwegian minister commended Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts through KSrelief.
Al-Rabeeah also met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. The meeting discussed the strategic partnership and close relationship between KSrelief and UN agencies and specialized bodies, as well as current humanitarian developments around the world.
Fletcher praised Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian and relief efforts through KSrelief, describing the centre as a model and a prominent example of humanitarian action.
Al-Rabeeah concluded by emphasizing the importance of continuing to reform the international humanitarian system, strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus, enhancing assessment and accountability mechanisms, and making responsible use of artificial intelligence to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian responses and help protect lives and improve the well-being of people affected by crises.
TunisiaMonitoiNews (Douha Essaafi)
