Praise for Kuwait’s role in eliminating world poverty

Huge achievements in various fields

VIENNA: Kuwait supports the work of OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) due to the instilled faith in its social responsibilities to eliminate poverty around the world, said OFID Director General, Sulaiman AlHarbash. Kuwait has been one of the first countries to support poor nations as it also supports increasing OFID’s resources, said AlHarbash yesterday, after receiving Kuwait’s newly-appointed ambassador to Austria and Permanent Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Sadiq Marafi.

Al-Harbash said that during one of his visits to HH the Amir, “HH Sheikh Sabah was pleased to know that the fund is keeping on aiding the developing countries as 50 percent of that aid goes to Africa as it consists of poor and disadvantaged countries.”

On a similar note, Al-Harbash said that an Arab-African econom- ic forum will be held in Kuwait on Nov 11 and 12, noting that the Fund has been invited by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to attend and participate at the gathering, which will pave the way for the third Arab-African summit.

He said OFID was also invited by General Secretariat of the Arab League to attend the summit, which will be held in Kuwait on Nov 18 and 19.

On receiving Ambassador Marafi, he said the meeting was within the framework of introducing him to his counterparts and heads of International Organizations as well as briefing him on the development of the Arab world in particular and the rest of the world in general.

Marafi was also briefed on the development activities implemented by KFAED, especially the preparations for the upcoming summit. Marafi was then briefed by Al-Harbash about OFID, which is the development finance institution established by the Member States of OPEC in 1976 as a collective channel of aid to the developing countries.

OFID Director General said that the ambassador, during his visit to the fund, met with the fund’s Kuwaiti work force as he expressed his appreciation to what the working groups have been implementing.

Ambassador Marafi expressed his pride and gratitude towards OFID’s aid to the developing countries, including supporting infrastructure projects such as education, health, provision of water, boosting energy use, in addition to provision of special aid to combat AIDS, supporting efforts of relief teams in Palestine as well as providing food aid for Africa.

The resolution of the Finance Ministry taken during the latest ministerial council last June to increase the Fund’s resources is an explicit recognition of the active and positive role of the Fund as the member states are keen to achieve the noble goals of supporting developing countries to eliminate poverty, he added.

He pointed out that these goals primarily fall within the main target, which was put by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah. He noted that during the meeting, they touched on a number of topics, including OFID’s organization of a training course in Vienna to train a group of young people from the Foreign Ministry, Information Ministry, Finance Ministry and others to enhance and strengthen relations among the Fund’s member states.

Marafi said the outstanding efforts of the work force in OFID reflects a bright image of Kuwait, its civilization and culture as well as its huge achievements in various fields due to the wise leadership of HH the Amir. — KUNA