RIYADH, 24 August: Saudi Arabia will host a donor conference for displaced people in the Sahel region of Africa on Oct. 26, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center announced on Friday.
The conference, supported by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, will be held in response to the severe humanitarian crisis impacting Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Mali, Saudi Press Agency reported.
It will mobilize resources and coordinate efforts to provide critical aid to millions of people in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, SPA added.
The UN estimates that nearly 33 million people across the region require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection, including about 11 million internally displaced persons and refugees.
The conference will be co-hosted by KSrelief and the OIC, in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Sahel and Lake Chad region has faced a multifaceted crisis for more than a decade, with social and economic instability exacerbated by the drying up of Lake Chad.
The conference will focus on raising resources for humanitarian and development initiatives, with an emphasis on UN-coordinated humanitarian response plans, and building partnerships to promote effective long-term solutions.
“This conference is a critical step toward mobilizing the necessary resources and forging partnerships to address the pressing humanitarian needs in these areas. Jointly, we can bring hope and relief to millions,” KSrelief Supervisor-General Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said.
OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha called on member states and international partners to extend financial resources to help improve conditions in the troubled region, and he emphasized the conference’s role in implementing the OIC’s resolution by the Council of Foreign Ministers.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also highlighted the urgent need for support.
“We must spare no effort to assist forcibly displaced populations and the communities that host them,” he said, and expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia, the OIC and other partners for their efforts to address the severe funding shortage faced by the region.
