Ashraf AboArafe
His Excellency the Advisor to the Royal Court and General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabiah, confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Salman Relief Center, worked to remove mines as part of its humanitarian work with the aim of improving the environment, protecting civilians, especially women and children, building capabilities, and providing the environment. Safe, preserving public health, and reducing the dangerous effects of mines on the individual and society, pointing out that the Green Middle East Initiative announced by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister – may God protect him – with a value of two and a half billion dollars, will chart the direction of the Kingdom and the region in protecting… Land, nature, and confronting environmental challenges.
This came during His Excellency’s participation yesterday in the Third International Conference on Reducing the Environmental Impact of Landmines, held in the city of Baku, the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, under the slogan (Mitigating the Environmental Impact of Landmines: Mobilizing Resources for a Safe and Green Future).
His Excellency explained that the volume of humanitarian aid provided to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period (1996 – 2024 AD) exceeded 129 billion US dollars, from which 169 countries around the world benefited, noting that the wise initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – may God protect him – to establish On May 13, 2015, the King Salman Relief Center contributed to strengthening Saudi humanitarian work and raising its quality and efficiency, by organizing and unifying all foreign humanitarian and relief affairs and works of the Kingdom under the umbrella of the Centre, and to also assume responsibility for documenting these works in the relevant international and international platforms, and to be the The only entity authorized to receive any relief, charitable or humanitarian donations, whether from a governmental or private source, to deliver them abroad in accordance with the regulations.
He stated that the Center’s projects have so far reached 2,925 humanitarian projects in 99 countries, worth 6 billion, 824 million and 693 thousand US dollars, including various important vital sectors such as food, education, health, shelter, nutrition, water, environmental sanitation, and others, in cooperation with 180 partners from international, regional and local organizations.
Al-Rabiah touched on the Center’s efforts to combat the spread of mines in a number of countries around the world, as the Kingdom, through the Center, launched the Saudi Mine Clearance Project in Yemen (MASAM) in June 2018 as a humanitarian initiative to help the Yemeni people confront this dangerous security phenomenon.
Dr. Al-Rabiah drew attention to the fact that the “Masam” project is implemented by Saudi cadres and international expertise to remove mines in their various forms and forms planted randomly, explaining that the project has been able, since its launch until now, to remove 443,452 mines that were planted randomly in various Yemeni lands, and to clear 56,636,614 meters of land. cubic meters of land. The project also contributed to building the capabilities of 400 mine clearance specialists.
His Excellency continued that last January, the King Salman Relief Center signed a memorandum of joint cooperation with the Azerbaijan National Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), to provide financial support to clear Azerbaijani lands of mines. The Center also delivered in April 2024 to the Republic of Iraq a financial grant to finance survey projects and the removal of cluster munitions. And mines in a number of governorates.
He stated that the Kingdom, represented by the Center, has, in this regard, established the prosthetic limbs program in Yemen, which is a specific project that manufactures and provides prosthetic devices for amputated limbs and holds various rehabilitation programs for those affected, from which 3,496,500 individuals have benefited.
At the conclusion of his speech, the General Supervisor of the King Salman Relief Center called for strengthening international responsibility for mine clearance, encouraging innovation, and involving the private sector, research institutes and universities in improving mine clearance capabilities, as well as involving the humanitarian community in expanding the scope of mine clearance efforts.
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