Manama: Kuwaiti philanthropist Shaikha Rima Al Sabah, wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States Shaikh Salem Al Sabah, has been appointed as the UN refugee agency’s (UNHCR) newest National Goodwill Ambassador.
Shaikha Rima said that she plans to raise awareness and mobilise support for refugees namely the Syrians.
“UNHCR and its partners provide life-saving assistance on the ground to the most vulnerable of the vulnerable and it is my passion to help,” Shaikha Rima told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna). “As the war in Syria enters its fourth year, there are now more than 3.8 million Syrians who have fled their country because of the terrible war. Kuwait is playing a key and leading role among Arab nations in providing support to UN Agencies especially the UNHCR and the broader humanitarian community’s life-saving emergency operations,” she said.
Shaikha Rima was formally welcomed into the UN family by Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR’s Regional Representative to the US and the Caribbean.
“I am honoured to be a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, an organisation that has long been close to my heart and one that assists millions worldwide who are fleeing war and conflict,” she said
Pitterman said that Shaikha Rima had shown “unwavering commitment to humanitarian issues and a genuine commitment to help those in need” through her philanthropic and fund-raising work in Washington, DC, that has helped raise millions of dollars to fight malaria, build schools and fund hospitals for children.
“I am confident that, as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, your dedication and passion for philanthropy will help mobilise further life-saving support and resources for our work globally and particularly the mega-crisis in the Middle East,” Pitterman said, quoted by Kuna.
Shaikha Rima is the founder and chairperson of the Kuwait-America Foundation’s annual gala dinner that has raised more than $16 million for various causes and organisations.
In 2005, Shaikha Rima raised funds for “USA for UNHCR” the independent fund-raising charity for UNHCR, to assist Iraqi women and children refugees.
The announcement of her official role comes as the international humanitarian community faces the highest level of forced displacement since the end of the Second World War.
War and conflict have forced more than 51 million people to flee their homes, including almost four million Syrians who have become refugees.
