Britain and Saudi Arabia are increasing the provision of vital aid to conflict zones

• The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia want to significantly increase cooperation on joint humanitarian and development programs around the world.
• This partnership, which has already committed a total of $22 million in joint funding, is being increased today by an additional $5 million to combat increasing malnutrition in Somalia.
• The new funding will be announced today (6 May) at the second UK-Saudi Arabia Strategic Dialogue on Humanitarian Aid and International Development in Riyadh and is the next step in a partnership that continues to grow from strength to strength.

The UK and Saudi Arabia will increase support for people in conflict zones by significantly expanding joint projects to address some of the biggest international development and humanitarian crises.

As part of this ongoing partnership, the Deputy Foreign Minister and HE Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Superior General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) and Advisor to the Royal Court, today announced an additional $5 million to combat increasing malnutrition in Somalia through UNICEF.

The funds will support more than 50,000 children to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services to vulnerable Somali women and children.

The announcement comes today in Riyadh as part of the second annual UK-Saudi Arabia Strategic Dialogue on Humanitarian Aid and International Development. Discussion points in the dialogue include, among other things, providing further assistance to Gaza and promoting progress towards peace in Sudan.

The UK and Saudi Arabia have already committed to joint funding totaling $22 million, which is already providing vital assistance and providing famine relief and humanitarian assistance in Somalia and Sudan.

Further cooperation is expected with joint humanitarian and development projects in Sudan, Yemen, Bangladesh and Ukraine. The programs are implemented by KSrelief and the Saudi Fund for Development, the Kingdom’s main relief and development agencies.

Assistant Secretary of State and Minister of State (Development and Africa), Andrew Mitchell, said:

The UK works with Saudi Arabia and other partners to support those whose lives are affected by conflict around the world.

I am pleased to be in Riyadh to find a path for further significant increases in shared funding, which will go a long way to supporting the people and communities that need it most. I build on today’s announcement in Somalia and seek to continue to support the people of Yemen. Ukraine, Sudan and the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

I also spoke with my Saudi partners about the need to bring the conflict in Gaza to a sustainable end. The UK remains focused on bringing about an immediate cessation of fighting, securing the release of hostages and ensuring that aid reaches those who need it.

The General Overseer of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and Advisor to the Royal Court, HE Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah said:

Looking forward, we look forward to enhancing our technical expertise and capacity building, building on the strong foundation we have established in our previous dialogue. This represents an invaluable opportunity to solidify our future direction, explore new areas of collaboration and further demonstrate the transformative potential of our partnership.

Officials from both sides are actively seeking promising opportunities for further cooperation. KSrelief sees enormous potential to leverage our respective strengths in areas such as health interventions, educational infrastructure development and livelihood generation programs.

The Deputy Foreign Minister will also sign a joint cooperation agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development to strengthen development cooperation in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Development Dialogue demonstrates putting the UK’s Development White Paper into practice, working with a wider range of development partners to deliver joint programmes, working together to improve aid effectiveness and mobilizing the vital financial resources needed to meet development needs around the world.

During the visit, the minister is also expected to meet the Deputy Foreign Minister HE Ing. Waleed Al Khuraiji, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Climate Change Representative, HE Adel Al Jubeir, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, HE Sultan Al Marshad, and Deputy Minister of Finance and G20 Sherpa HE Abdulmuhsen Al Khalaf.