Saudi Arabian Aid

Saudi Arabian Aid

Saudi Aid: Introduction
Saudi Aid to the Developing World
Developmental Co-operation with Islamic Countries
Saudi Fund For Development
Saudi Aid: The Problem of Drought
Saudi Aid: Refugees in Africa
Saudi Aid at the National Level
Saudi Aid at the International Level
Saudi Aid: The World Food Program
Saudi Aid: The Arab Gulf Program for U.N. Development Organizations
World Program for Combating River Blindness Disease
UN High Commission for Refugee Affairs
Saudi Aid: Relief Efforts in Asia
Saudi Aid: UNRWA
Saudi Aid: International Committee of the Red Cross
Recent Saudi Aid efforts

Saudi Aid: Introduction

The Kingdom’s oil wealth and its own ambitious development programs have received wide international publicity. Perhaps less widely recognized is its commitment to helping those materially less fortunate in the developing world.

Throughout its own development, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been mindful of its responsibilities in the community of nations, especially in the Arab world and amongst the less developed countries. Blessed with its vast reserves of oil and minerals, Saudi Arabia has willingly accepted the Muslim obligation to share its wealth with those less favored. Although a relatively young country, Saudi Arabia has quickly understood the reality of interdependence which exists between one nation and another. The Kingdom is, of course, particularly involved with the industrialized nations of the West, supplying much of these countries’ energy requirements and importing much of the West’s technology. But there is also an interdependence, both moral and economic, between rich nations and poor.


Saudi Aid to the Developing World

Usfan is a small town located 40 miles north-east of the center of Jeddah. In the past, Usfan was the last stop for pilgrims on their journey from the north (Syria and Jordan) to the Holy City of Makkah. Today it is the site of the junction of two of the Kingdom’s modern expressways.


Developmental Co-operation with Islamic Countries

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played an increasingly important role in the past several years in the area of supporting economic and social development plans and programs in Third World countries in general and in Islamic developing countries in particular. The Kingdom allocates a major part of its annual national product to assisting developing countries implement their respective development programs. In some years of the past decade, this assistance has amounted to 6% of GNP, whereas the industrial countries as a group fell short of achieving the modest rate of assistance flowing from developed to developing countries as called for by the United Nations, namely 0.7% of gross national product.

The total non-reimbursable development assistance and concessional loans provided by the Kingdom during the past 15 years to the developing countries that are members of the Islamic Conference Organization amounted to about 77,000 million Saudi Riyals. These funds have contributed toward the implementation of economic and social development programs and projects in 35 sister Islamic nations.


Saudi Fund For Development

The Saudi Fund for Development was established by Royal Decree in the month of Sha’ban 1394 AH (1974) and began its operations in the month of Safar 1395 AH (1975). At the time of its inception, the Fund’s capital amounted to 10 billion Saudi Riyals; however, due to the developing countries’ increasing need for assistance in order to implement development projects, the Fund’s capital has been augmented three times, and in 1991 totalled 31 billion Saudi Riyals. Despite the fact that the Fund has been operating for a relatively short time, it has made great strides in the area of international development co-operation. The Fund now contributes to the financing of 3750 projects in 71 countries, consisting of 41 African countries, 25 Asian countries, and five countries in other parts of the world.

The terms under which the Saudi Fund for Development provides loans formulated to provide recipients with the greatest possible help;

  • The loans are without conditions
  • Funds are made available quickly and easily
  • Repayment terms are generous (up to 50 years with a 10-year grace period)
  • The outright grant component of such loans can amount to 60% of the total
  • The cost of loans is generally 1%

For further details, go to Saudi Fund for Development Web Site


Saudi Aid to Relieve the Problem of Drought

The onset of the drought problem in the Sahel prompted the government and the people of Saudi Arabia to come to the rescue of the African countries of the Sahel afflicted. Donations and grants were extended through bilateral channels for support of reform programs and of economic and social plans so as to ensure immediate and beneficial relief for the African peoples.

During the third Islamic Summit held in the Holy City of Makkah in 1984 (1404/05 AH), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the allocation of 382 million Saudi Riyals for the implementation of an emergency program to assist the following countries of the Sahel affected by the drought in Africa: Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Chad. 15% of this amount was allocated for the provision of large quantities of foodstuffs and their immediate distribution to the afflicted victims. The balance, amounting to 318,750,000 Saudi Riyals was allocated to a special program for digging wells and rural development in the ten countries of the Sahel.


Saudi Aid for Refugees in Africa

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been greatly concerned with the problem of African refugees in Sudan and Somalia, and of the victims of conflicts in Chad. The assistance in money, foodstuffs, medical supplies, and shelter provided to refugees in these areas amounted to more than 170,000 million Saudi Riyals. In addition, the Kingdom donated 122,500,000 Saudi Riyals for the UN’s first and second conferences for assistance to refugees in Africa.

Some countries of the African continent have been hit by natural disasters such as the earthquakes in the Algerian city of Al-Shleif, the hurricanes in the Comoro Islands and Madagascar, and the ravaging floods in some African countries. The Kingdom has promptly come to the rescue of the victims of such disasters by providing assistance in money and in kind and by contributing in the reconstruction programs. The Kingdom provided a total of 618 million Saudi Riyals to seven countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Somalia, Comoro Islands, Madagascar and Nigeria.


Saudi Aid at the National Level

Due to the persistence of the drought problem in a number of the African countries for several years, growing worse and spreading its ill effects, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques called upon the citizens of the Kingdom to extend aid to their brothers in Africa. Official and national committees were formed in each Saudi city under the auspices of a high ministerial committee to receive contributions in money and in kind from citizens and to ensure that they are promptly delivered to the afflicted African countries. The response of the Muslim people of Saudi Arabia was prompt and generous. Through 1988 (1408 AH), assistance in money and in kind amounted to more than 325 million Saudi Riyals, including more than 152,120 tons of grains and various foodstuffs, clothing, tents, blankets, ambulances, water trucks, and fuel. It benefited more than 3.5 million victims in Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Djibouti, Comoro Islands and Morocco.


Saudi Aid at the International Level

In addition to the Kingdom’s intensive efforts to assist the victims of drought and other natural disasters and to support the means of sheltering refugees through bilateral channels, the Kingdom has not overlooked the support of international efforts in this area and has responded to the call addressed by the third and fourth Islamic Summits held respectively in Makkah and Casablanca under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to provide assistance to the African countries of the Sahel afflicted by the drought. The Kingdom implemented the aforementioned special program for digging wells and rural development in African countries and contributed to several international programs in this field such as the World Food Program, the World Program for Combating River Blindness, the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organization, and the WB-IMF Programs for support of the structural adjustment of the African sub-Saharan countries as previously mentioned.


Saudi Aid: The World Food Program

This program is concerned with providing food to the needy all over the world, food being a vital element to human survival. Due to this program’s importance, the Kingdom has recently extended to this program donations in money and in kind totaling more than 1,245 million Saudi Riyals up to 1988 (1408/09 AH), at a rate of more than 100 million Saudi Riyals per year.

Official statistics show that about 50% of this program’s resources has been allocated in previous years to the African Continent because of the persistent drought in many of its countries.


Saudi Aid: The Arab Gulf Program for U.N. Development Organizations

At the beginning of 1981 (1402/03 AH), the Kingdom and the sister Arab Gulf nations established the Arab Gulf Program for the purpose of supporting the UN humanitarian and development organizations. To this program, the Kingdom has contributed about 78% of the program’s resources. The program provides assistance to the poorest countries of the world, in particular African countries, through the UN humanitarian and development programs, and has allocated about 40% of its resources to UNICEF. The World Health Organization, the World Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Labor Organization, the World Food Program, the Environment Program, UNESCO, the Program for Handicapped, the UN Development Program, the High Commission for Refugee Affairs, the World Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Fund for Population Affairs have also benefited from the program.


World Program for Combating River Blindness Disease

This program is concerned with the attempt to eradicate river blindness disease and to prevent it from spreading to an area of about one million and one hundred thousand square kilometers. This program was initiated by the IBRD and the World Health Organization, with the collaboration of the West African governments, namely: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Togo, Burkina Faso. Realizing the importance of such a program, the Kingdom has participated in the international meetings on the mobilization of financial and technical resources for the implementation of this program’s three stages during the period 1974-1989 (1394-1410 AH). The Kingdom’s contribution to such stages amounted to 92 million Saudi Riyals, representing 8.36% of the total donations of contributing countries.


U.N. High Commission for Refugee Affairs

The Commission was established for the purpose of sponsoring refugees’ affairs all over the world. It assists refugees by developing programs aimed at reaching permanent solutions, such as voluntary return of refugees to their home countries, if possible, or their long-term settlement in the local community of the first refugee country, or repatriation to any other country.

The Commission receives annual contributions from the countries of the world in support of its regular budget, as well as donations in support of emergency and special programs. In appreciation of the Commission’s humanitarian role, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia makes an annual contribution to its budget, dating back several years. The Kingdom also donated 105 million Saudi Riyals at the first conference organized by the Commission in 1981 (1401/02 AH) for the purpose of collecting donations to assist refugees in Africa. At the second conference held in 1984 (1404/05 AH), the Kingdom donated 17.5 million Saudi Riyals, and in 1988 (1408/09 AH), it donated through the Commission large quantities of flour to the refugees in Somalia, amounting to 20,000 tons valued at about 30 million Saudi Riyals.

For further details, go to UNRWA Web Site


Saudi Aid: Relief Efforts in Asia

The Asian continent has several areas where tension and armed conflicts prevail; some of its countries have been so greatly affected that their resources have been drained and efforts at development impeded. The unjust Israeli occupation of Palestine and some Arab territories was one of the worst events, as well as the Soviet invasion of the Muslim country of Afghanistan, the Lebanese war, and the war between Iraq and Iran. These distressing events have brought about a number of problems paramount among which are the problems of Palestinian and Afghani refugees, and the victims of war. The persistence of these problems for many years has led to an increase in the number of refugees and to the worsening of their living conditions.

The Kingdom has consistently endeavored to support security and stability in the Middle East region and in the Islamic World by various means, while seeking to provide prompt relief to the victims of such events. The Kingdom provides assistance in cash and in kind, in addition to medical assistance to the afflicted and the needy everywhere.


Saudi Aid: UNRWA

This agency was established by the United Nations following the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, for the purpose of sponsoring Palestinian refugees’ affairs and providing them with humanitarian and social services, as well as for training and creating job opportunities for those who are capable of working.

In appreciation of the role played by this agency and the humanitarian activities that it provided for more than 2 million refugees, the Kingdom has contributed to the agency’s annual budget the amount of 4.5 million Saudi Riyals in addition to exceptional donations on various occasions amounting to about 225 million Saudi Riyals dedicated for several purposes, including funding the budget shortfalls, implementation of the programs for construction of refugee camps in Lebanon, and providing educational services as well as relief, food and medical supplies.

From October 2000 to December 2007, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pledged US$20,250,000 to the UNRWA.

For further details, go to UNRWA Web Site


Saudi Aid: International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross is an independent humanitarian foundation that works as a neutral mediator in cases of conflicts and disturbances to protect and assist the victims of world and civil wars, thus contributing to the settlement of peace in the world. The foundation provides assistance to prisoners, refugees and homeless families, as well as to Palestinian and Afghan refugees and victims of the Lebanese and the Iraq-Iran war, etc.

In appreciation of the humanitarian role played by this foundation the Kingdom has contributed 750,000 Saudi Riyals per year since 1976 (1396 AH) in addition to exceptional donations in cases of emergency totaling about 79 million Saudi Riyals to support the Foundation’s budget and to enable it to implement some of the projects and programs for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the victims of the armed conflict in Lebanon and the Iraq-Iran war.

International Committee of the Red Cross Web Site


Recent Saudi Aid efforts

In recent years, the Kingdom has continued to distinguish itself by its unstinting efforts to provide aid to regions stricken by ethnic conflicts, often far from the Arab heartlands.

First in Bosnia, then in Kosovo and Chechnya, Saudi Arabia has sustained an aid program, not for days or weeks (while the attention of the world’s media were focused on the crises) but for months and years, for as long as the need exists. Plane after plane has taken off from the Kingdom with much needed supplies, while the Joint Saudi Committee for the Relief of Kosovo and Chechnya in Pristina has organized building programs and other assistance on the ground in the stricken regions.

The aid program for these regions has been organized by the Saudi Government but Saudi citizens have themselves made an outstanding contribution to help those driven from their homes by ‘ethnic cleansing’.




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