Then, Dr. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court and the Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), announced today that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pledged USD 500 million to support Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2020 and COVID-19 Response plan. The announcement came in a speech delivered by Dr. Al Rabeeah at Yemen High-Level Pledging Event 2020 held today virtually in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Al Rabeeah said, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always embraced the principles of peace, harmony and cooperation between the peoples and countries of the world. The Kingdom has provided impartial support and assistance while carrying out its responsibilities to respond to humanitarian crises and limit their effects on people globally." "The Kingdom has become one of the world’s leading humanitarian donors; according to United Nations data platforms, Saudi Arabia ranks among the top five donor countries for the provision of global humanitarian aid. For the past several decades, Saudi Arabia has been one of the top countries providing assistance to Yemen and its people," he added. Dr. Al Rabeeah said "We are meeting today amid the conditions the world is facing due to the Covid19 pandemic, and all the economic, health and political challenges that it has caused. Yemen is facing many difficult humanitarian and health challenges, and the Yemeni people are suffering from multiple crises caused by Iran-backed Houthi militias. These groups do not consider epidemics or the pandemic the world is facing today, do not care about the difficult humanitarian circumstances the Yemenis are facing, and have threatened and deprived them of their most basic human rights by looting and stealing humanitarian aid and using it for military purposes. These illegal actions have adversely affected the continued commitment of donor countries, and have also placed a greater responsibility on the United Nations, humanitarian and human rights organizations to limit these grave abuses." "In spite of all of these difficult challenges and obstacles, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has maintained its pioneering role and ongoing commitment to Yemen and its noble people. Because of its keenness to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, I am pleased to announce that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged USD 500 million to support the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2020 and the Covid19 Response plan in Yemen, USD 300 million of which shall be allocated to United Nations agencies and organizations in accordance with KSrelief’s mechanisms. The remaining USD 200 million will be allocated to the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) in accordance with its mechanisms and in coordination with national, international and local humanitarian organizations. We have also allocated an additional USD 30 million for the third phase of the MASAM Landmine Clearance Project, bringing the total amount spent for all three phases to USD 100 million," he said. He concluded by saying "I extend the highest expressions of thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to HRH the Crown Prince and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and head of the delegation, and all the heads and representatives of donor and participating countries and international organizations that have supported and attended this important conference. --More 17:24 LOCAL TIME 14:24 GMT 0021 www.spa.gov.sa/w1341724