REUTERS
Published — Friday 19 June 2015
LONDON: Saudi Arabia trebled its global humanitarian aid input to $755 billion, placing it among the top 10 providers, a list traditionally dominated by Western nations, new figures showed on Thursday.
The total aid figure hit a record $24.5 billion in 2014 boosted by a nearly $1 billion extra from Gulf countries but the 20 percent increase in funds failed to meet growing needs in conflict and disaster-hit areas.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait more than doubled their combined contribution to United Nations appeals in 2014, raising $1.6 billion, according to Development Initiatives, a specialist independent think tank.
As well as government aid the funding includes donations from the European Union and private donors seeking to address the needs of a rising number of people, including those displaced by crises in the Middle East and Africa. Despite the additional funds, Development Initiatives said agencies struggled to cope with larger numbers displaced from war zones such as Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Sophia Swithern, head of the Global Humanitarian Assistance program at Development Initiatives, said about two thirds of global humanitarian aid continued to go to long term recipients such as Somalia and Pakistan.
SOURCE: ARABNEWS.COM
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA TREBLED ITS GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AID INPUT TO $755 BILLION, PLACING IT AMONG THE 10 TOP PROVIDERS–.
“THE TOTAL AID FIGURE HIT A RECORD $24.5 BILLION IN 2014–“.
Exactly how much did Saudi Arabia contribute when the total figure for 2014 was $24.5, a mere fraction of the $755 billion purportedly donated by that country?
The headline says the kingdom tops global donors while the story only places it among the top 10. That means it does not top the list. Which is correct?