Addressing the General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee as it examined the issue of refugees, Kuwaiti diplomat Abdulaziz Al-Dekheel said his country supported UNHCR by way of a yearly contribution estimated at USD 700,000 and hosts an office of the Agency and provides it with every form of assistance.
The UNHCR, he noted, strives to alleviate the plight of refugees and that of the internally displaced persons throughout the world.
In this regard, he added, Kuwait supports refugees all over the world, including Palestinians, recalling that Kuwaiti support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by way of a yearly voluntary contribution estimated at USD 1.5 million to its regular budget, alongside the support provided by Kuwaiti civil societies.
He noted that Kuwait also provided assistance to the Lebanese refugees who were forced to leave their homes as a result of Israel’s "flagrant aggression" in the summer of 2006.
He explained that their return to their homes had been made difficult because of the need to rebuild what Israel had destroyed and the presence of land mines, especially in the southern part of the country.
Al-Dekheel commended the High Commissioner Antonio Guterres for his report in which he indicated that a growing number of refugees, about 12 percent more than last year and more internally displaced persons, are receiving assistance from his Agency.
He also commended the Agency for the reforms it made in its administration and for the flexibility of its activities to meet the needs of its beneficiaries.
