Kuwait to donate $4 million to UNICEF

Kuwait City: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development signed a grant agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), vowing to provide $4 million in donations to support internally displaced Syrians in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported.

The grant aims to support the strategic plan of UNICEF in Syria and to prepare and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic within Syria, especially in camps and shelters housing internally displaced persons.

Majority of the grant will go towards immediate measures from engaging the community in spreading awareness and supporting the capacity of UNICEF to securing health supplies and ensuring that the communities still have access to social services such as education and childcare.

Kuwait and UNICEF

Kuwait has been a long time supporter of UNICEF, as it has funded various projects and supported children across the Middle East, as well as around the world.

“Kuwait has been one of the largest donors to UNICEF’s work in the region. Since 2013, Kuwait has contributed nearly US$150 million allowing us to provide lifesaving assistance to children impacted by the multiple conflicts including in Iraq and Syria,” said Geert Cappelaere UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The latest contribution by Kuwait was in 2019, when Kuwait donated over $20 million to Yemen to support children affected by the cholera outbreak and various other illnesses as a result of the seven-year humanitarian crisis.