Jeddah: Generously Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Donors’ Conference to Support Displaced Persons and Refugees in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, on Saturday, October 26th, 2024. The conference came in line with the resolution No. 4/49-ICHAD adopted at the 49th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.

It is worth noting that the organization of the conference was carried out through joint work and coordination between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The OIC Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Hissein Ibrahim Taha, delivered a speech in which he stated that “the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with its commendable initiative to host this conference and its generous contribution to the efforts aimed at mobilizing the necessary resources to meet the needs of refugees and displaced persons in the Sahel countries and the Lake Chad Basin, not only enshrines a long tradition of supporting friendly African countries, but also demonstrates its adherence to the values ​​of solidarity that have always been the basis of its approach and characterized its work within the framework of the Organization”. He added that this donors’ conference is a sign of effective solidarity between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its external partners who have been mobilized to provide a joint response to the urgent challenges associated with the acute crisis of displaced persons and refugees in a region severely affected by insecurity, climate change and unrest of various kinds. 

His Excellency Eng. Walid bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraiji, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, affirmed that “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s hosting of this conference meshes with its keenness to respond to everything that serves humanitarian issues and to provide assistance to peoples in need, in line with the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the resolution of Foreign Ministers at the Organization.”

The donors’ conference insisted on achieving a number of goals, namely raising awareness over the refugee and displacement crisis in the region in order to come up with strategies to address it, building strong partnerships to support networking methods that would enhance long-term solutions to the problems of displacement, food security, and other crises, in addition to intensifying diplomatic work to prevent crises in the region, enhance effective response to achieve long-term goals, and mobilize resources for immediate humanitarian response.

The participants in the conference agreed on the importance of mobilizing resources to provide support to more than 11 million people suffering from the consequences of displacement and asylum in the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin.

In this context, the conference held a high-level session attended by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in charge of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Ms. Joyce Musaya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations, Mr. Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Ms. Zubaida Abubakar Omar, Director General of the Emergency Management Agency in Nigeria, in addition to a representative of the European Union.

The session witnessed positive interaction among the participants, as it included a review of the efforts of the King Salman Center and international agencies in supporting refugees and displaced persons and addressing the humanitarian situation, especially in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.

On the other hand, the concerned ministers from the countries of the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin (the Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Niger, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Burkina Faso and the Republic of Mali) spoke in succession during the session, where they provided a detailed explanation of the humanitarian situation in their respective countries and the necessary requirements to address these crises. Representatives of the OIC Member States also spoke during the donation session, expressing their support for efforts to end the displacement crisis in the region. 

At the conclusion of the conference, the OIC Secretary-General extended his sincere thanks and gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and his loyal Crown Prince, Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the support and assistance they provide to the organization in order to achieve its goals. The Secretary-General also appreciated the efforts of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and its continuous support for the organization’s projects, particularly its cooperation to make this conference a success, while also expressing his thanks and appreciation to the United Nations agencies and Member States for their coordination and cooperation in order to meet the conference’s goals.