BRUSSELS: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), held high-level talks with UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell during the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels.
The meeting, attended by Saudi Ambassador to the EU Haifa Al-Jedea, centered on strengthening joint humanitarian and relief efforts aimed at improving child welfare in crisis-affected regions worldwide.
Russell commended the partnership between UNICEF and KSrelief, noting that their collaboration has reached millions of vulnerable children.
She described it as “an outstanding example of international humanitarian cooperation dedicated to serving children globally.”
Over the past four days at the European Humanitarian Forum 2025 held in Brussels, key humanitarian leaders and organizations have gathered to address escalating global crises amid shifting geopolitics and multidimensional challenges.
Throughout the forum, Dr. Al-Rabeeah highlighted Saudi Arabia’s leadership in humanitarian action, especially in the Middle East, where ongoing conflicts have displaced over 28 million people and left more than 65 million in need of aid, according to UN OCHA data.
He drew attention to the severe underfunding of humanitarian response plans, currently less than 30% funded and called for urgent global action to support food security, clean water, sanitation, healthcare, shelter, and education in the region.
In a seminar titled “Crises in the Middle East: The Challenge of Protecting Lives and Respecting International Humanitarian Law,” Dr. Al-Rabeeah underscored the operational challenges faced by humanitarian workers, such as safety threats, misinformation, and the destruction or theft of relief supplies.
He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to humanitarian values and its resolve to provide assistance without discrimination, emphasizing the Kingdom’s intent to remain a global leader in relief work.
A major highlight of KSrelief’s activities in Brussels was the signing of a $5 million agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to rehabilitate 33 damaged bakeries across Syrian governorates.
The project is expected to meet the essential needs of approximately 1.4 million people and create around 500 jobs, supporting both food security and local economic recovery.
The forum concluded with renewed calls for respect for international humanitarian law, enhanced aid access, and greater protection for humanitarian workers priorities that KSrelief and its partners are determined to advance.
