(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) Riyadh, December 01, 2022, SPA -- King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Riyadh today launched the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2023, in cooperation with King Saud University, and with the participation of the EU, which aims to provide an overview of humanitarian needs and funding requirements in 2023, call for generous funding towards next year's humanitarian appeals, and amplify the voices of affected people, particularly women and girls.
Advisor at the Royal Court and General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, delivered the opening speech, where he highlighted that this event is one of three successive events to launch the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2023, to highlight humanitarian needs, developing comprehensive and integrated approaches to the provision of humanitarian assistance, and discuss ways to enhance the participation of people affected by crises, local humanitarian workers, and NGO partners in the implementation of humanitarian operations at the global level.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah highlighted the challenges facing food aid reaching its beneficiaries, explaining that obstructing the arrival of aid in crisis areas is one of those challenges, as it may be stopped, robbed, or even destroyed before it reaches those in dire need, stressing the importance of humanitarian organizations' cooperation with regional and local authorities to ensure safe access to aid while protecting those involved in the delivery process.
He indicated that Saudi Arabia has provided over the past two decades $95 billion to support humanitarian and development projects in 164 countries, stressing that joint and collective efforts are needed to address the urgent issues facing the world today on a large scale to transform pain and suffering into hope and sufficiency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraiji, said in his speech: 'The Kingdom, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, and Prime Minister, is witnessing continuous development within the framework of implementing its ambitious vision 2030 which is based on humanity as its foundation.'
He added, 'During the successive crises the world has been going through, the Kingdom has paid attention regionally and internationally to leading and enabling humanitarian work within the framework of its presidency of the group of major donors for humanitarian aid, as it was able to unify international efforts to meet the humanitarian need by providing various aid that supports the humanitarian and relief field. The Kingdom will remain proactive in its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at alleviating the suffering of the neediest groups and societies'.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the year 2022 was a year of many challenges after conflicts caused suffering to millions of people, adding that the war in Ukraine exacerbated the global food and energy crisis, and diseases from cholera to the Corona pandemic took lives and tore economies around the world. He stressed that the United Nations and its partners in the humanitarian field have risen to the challenge; To help support and protect 157 million people around the world.
Guterres said the United Nations provided more than $2 billion in cash assistance, and donors provided nearly $24 billion, indicating that the needs still exceed the amount of expenditure, which led to a financing gap of 60%. He added that about 339 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection in 2023, according to projections.
The UN Secretary-General added that the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2023 calls for allocating $51.5 billion to provide life-saving support to 230 million of the most vulnerable groups, stressing that funding life-saving humanitarian operations is a source of hope for millions of people in dire need.
For her part, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya explained that the world is experiencing the largest food crisis in history and that more than a million people are facing famine around the world.
The event also included an interactive panel discussion entitled 'Global Food Security and Diplomatic Conflicts... a Developing Humanitarian Scene', in which Dr. Al-Rabeeah, and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussain Ibrahim Taha, participated, in addition to the Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell, and the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland.
Director of Partnerships and International Relations at KSrelief, Dr. Hana Omar, delivered the closing speech of the event, in which she thanked the participants and stressed that this enlightening and useful dialogue will help move forward in combating food insecurity.
(GHO) 2023 has been previously launched in major international cities such as London, New York, Stockholm, Geneva, Brussels, and Washington. This year it is launched in three cities; Riyadh, Geneva, and Addis Ababa.
--SPA
22:22 LOCAL TIME 19:22 GMT
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