Riyadh – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) are strengthening their collaboration to deliver early recovery interventions, embedded in the emergency response phase to the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Yemen. 

Following a meeting between Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief, and Haoliang Xu, UNDP Assistant Administrator, on the sidelines of the Fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, both organizations signed a cooperation agreement to provide urgent relief, restore essential services, and support long-term resilience in Gaza and Yemen, with a total funding of US$5.7 million.

“Early recovery interventions play an important role to enhance humanitarian responses, while keeping a forward-looking perspective on longer-term recovery and resilience building,” said Haoliang Xu,. “Our partnership with KSrelief demonstrates how even as crises continue to unfold, critical investments can be made in the emergency response phase to deliver results to meet help meet immediate needs now while laying the foundations for the future.”

In Gaza, where the war has displaced 1.9 million people – 90% of the population – and led to the collapse of vital infrastructure, the agreement provides US$4.7 million in funding to improve living conditions, reduce health risks, and strengthen local service delivery.  Funded interventions will enhance access to safe drinking water for 600,000 displaced individuals through water trucking, distribution of storage containers, and reinforcement of municipal water supply services. And they will restore solid waste management systems by facilitating emergency waste collection, rehabilitating disposal sites, and providing fuel to sustain operations. 

In Yemen, a US$1 million investment will strengthen national capacities to contain environmental damages caused by the Rubymar shipwreck in the Red Sea, negatively impacting livelihoods of an estimated 126,000 people in coastal communities that depend on artisanal fishing. The funded project will procure specialized oil spill response equipment, including an underwater remotely operated vehicle, as well as personal protection gear for responder crews, and will provide technical training necessary for the Rubymar salvage operation. 

“KSrelief is pleased to work with the UNDP, as a most valued partner, on these important initiatives to support local communities in Gaza and Yemen,” said Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah. “The agreements we signed today—restoring access to clean water, improving waste management, and strengthening capacity for crisis response—exemplify our shared commitment to addressing urgent humanitarian challenges, while laying the foundations for longer term recovery and development.”

This latest partnership between UNDP and KSrelief reflects a continued commitment to supporting vulnerable communities, fostering resilience, and ensuring a coordinated and effective humanitarian and development response.