Kazakhstan Participates in the International Donor Conference to Support Displaced Persons and Refugees in the Sahel Region and Lake Chad Basin

Jeddah, October 26, 2024 – The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr. Madiyar Menilbekov, participated in the International Donor Conference to support IDP’s and Refugees in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Region. The Conference was held at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah. The event was conducted in accordance with Resolution No. 4/49-ICHAD, adopted at the 49th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

The event was jointly organized by the OIC, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The conference gathered representatives from relevant UN bodies, the European Union, the World Food Programme, as well as Ministers from the countries of the Sahel and the Lake Chad Region, including the Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Niger, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Burkina Faso, and the Republic of Mali.

The main goal of the event was to appeal to the developed nations of the world, major financial institutions, and international organizations to address the dire humanitarian situation in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Region and to provide urgent donor assistance to the countries of the region, where over 35 million people live, including approximately 13 million who are displaced persons and refugees.

At the conclusion of the event, it was announced that the donor conference to support displaced persons and refugees in the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin managed to raise $1.1 billion.

Reference: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the largest global donors of humanitarian aid. In 2023, the Kingdom allocated approximately $1.239 billion for humanitarian aid and development projects. Over the past five decades, the Kingdom has provided more than $130 billion in humanitarian aid to over 170 countries.

On the sidelines of the conference, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a cooperation agreement with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to provide $25 million in food aid to the most vulnerable populations in Yemen.