By Mariam Al-Sagheer

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Saudi Arabia has donated more than $92.4 billion to 84 countries during the 23 years between 1996-2019, Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor of King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSRelief) has said.

Delivering a speech titled "Islam in the service of communities" at the 44th annual Grand Haj Symposium here on Monday, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said the Kingdom was and still is providing assistance to disaster victims and support the poor. “It (the Kingdom) is a generous country, the source of good and is visited by those in need for help,” he said.

The symposium’s motto is: "The Haj: Coexistence and Tolerance".

Dr. Al-Rabeeah said the Kingdom is an Islamic country deeply rooted in human memory with its immortal work in the charitable field, pointing out that the Kingdom provided nearly $92.4 billion to support 84 countries in the world since 1996.

Dr. Al-Rabeeah said KSrelief was established in May 2015 to streamline the Kingdom's relief and humanitarian aid to different countries across the world. The noble humanitarian goals and principles of the center include achieving impartiality, transparency, professionalism, taking the initiative, innovation, building partnerships and social support, he said.

The KSrelief has undertaken 1,050 development projects in 44 countries worth $3.52 billion (SR13.28 billion), he said.

He said the Kingdom has furnished Yemen with assistance worth more than $2.2 billion, Palestine $355 million, Syria $277 million, Somalia $180 million, Pakistan $116 million, Indonesia $71 million and Myanmar $17 million.

Al-Rabeeah said the center financed 225 projects for women in various parts of the world at an estimated amount of $389 million and 224 projects for children worth $529 million.

He said the Kingdom is hosting about 12 million migrants from various nationalities including 561,911 Yemenis, 262,573 Syrians and 249,66 people from Myanmar.