Saudi aid agency KSrelief and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, signed two agreements worth $ 11 million to support refugees and internally displaced people in Yemen, Sudan and Chad.

The first agreement granted a $7 million contribution for shelter and relief items to 14,000 displaced families, or around 84,000 individuals, affected by the crisis in Yemen.

The second agreement allocated $4 million to aid 29,480 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sudan, 7,650 refugees in South Sudan, and 7,802 refugees who fled the country to Chad.

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief, and Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNHCR Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Countries, praised Saudi Arabia’s support for the UN’s aid efforts.

“This generous contribution will allow us to continue providing life-saving assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan and Chad,” Khalifa said in a statement.

He added: “In light of the ever-increasing humanitarian needs of millions of forcibly displaced people around the world and shrinking resources, we need our partners to step up their support, now more than ever before”.   

Ahmed Al-Baiz, KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs, said: “The signing of these agreements comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian role supporting affected and needy people around the world and alleviating their suffering as much as possible.”

He noted that the Kingdom has provided UNHCR with a total of $ 319 million over the past years.

UNHCR figures showed that as of October 2023, 21.6 million Yemenis have been dependent on humanitarian assistance, including 4.5 million internally displaced people and 71,800 refugees and asylum-seekers.

The fighting in Sudan, which broke out in April, displaced more than 4.8 million people inside the country with a further 1.2 million refugees to neighboring countries.

The two-day GRF, co-hosted by UNHCR and Switzerland, brought together UN member states with relevant stakeholders, international and local organizations, civil society, financial institutions, academia and the private sector to discuss support for refugees and host communities worldwide.

It also offered a platform for participants to announce new pledges and facilitate comprehensive responses.