KUWAIT CITY, Aug 19: The United Nations marked World Humanitarian Day on Monday, reaffirming its record as a leading provider of humanitarian assistance and international relief over several decades.

The UN General Assembly designated August 19 as World Humanitarian Day in memory of 22 people killed in a 2003 bombing at UN headquarters in Baghdad. In 2014, the UN named Kuwait the “Center for Humanitarian Action” and honored the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as “Leader of Humanitarian Action” for the country’s contributions.

Kuwait has placed humanitarian aid at the core of its foreign policy, becoming one of the largest contributors to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) over the past decade. On May 12, 2024, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah reaffirmed this commitment during talks with UN Secretary General António Guterres, who praised Kuwait’s leadership in relief efforts.

Through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), and several charities, Kuwait has dispatched aid across regions struck by conflict and disaster.

Recent efforts include participation in the July 2024 Gaza humanitarian conference in Jordan, chaired by Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, and emergency assistance delivered by KRCS to Yemen after floods. In August 2024, Kuwait launched an air bridge carrying medical and food aid to Sudan, followed by a USD 2.1 million contract with Turkish authorities to ship further supplies.

Kuwait continued aid to Sudan with relief shipments and a cooperation deal between KRCS and Sudanese partners. In September, it launched an aid campaign for families displaced by Israeli strikes in Lebanon. A Kuwaiti ship carrying 2,500 tons of supplies reached Port Sudan in October, while the Kuwaiti Society for Humanitarian Work opened a medical complex in Pakistan.

Air bridges were established to Lebanon in November 2024 and Syria in December. That month, Kuwait also co-hosted an international conference in Cairo to support Gaza.

In early 2025, Kuwait’s relief efforts expanded further. These included a USD 1 million grant to UNRWA in Jordan, convoys of aid to Syria from Turkiye, and new development agreements signed by KFAED with the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Projects targeted water and education in Gaza and Lebanon, and humanitarian funding for Somalia.

KFAED has since broadened partnerships with Japan and the UK to strengthen development cooperation and deliver USD 10 million in emergency aid to Sudan and Somalia. On June 29, 2025, UNHCR signed a grant agreement with the Abdullah Al-Nouri Charity to support Syrian refugees in Jordan.