Kuwait pledges $500m to Syrian people

Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah said on Tuesday that his government, along with Kuwaiti NGOs would pay up to $500m of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, according to Palestinian newspaper Alresalah.

Al-Sabah stated that he would expose the tragedy of the Syrians to all, hoping that his country’s contribution would help to lessen the sufferings of the Syrian people.

Speaking in the Third Donor Conference for the Syrian people, the Emir said: “The two previous conferences were successful because of your contributions, which registered more than 90% response. This secured the demands called for by the UN. We also hope success for this conference.”

The Emir also mentioned data from an international organisation, showing that the Syrian economy has already and completely collapsed and its losses crossed $200bn. The data also showed that unemployment rate reached to 57% and the age rate decreased to 55 years.

He also noted the high poverty rate and that there are now 4 million Syrian refugees. This is the largest refugee nation, the Emir said.

“These horrible facts put the international community before a historical responsibility that necessitates serious work to end this disaster, which became a threat to the international safety and security as Syria became the haven for terrorists,” Al-Sabah expressed.