Riyadh: In the context of the second UK-Saudi Strategic Dialogue on Humanitarian Aid and International Development, Riyadh hosted the inaugural roundtable discussions on financing platforms and donor coordination. The Assistant Supervisor General of Planning and Development at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), Aqeel Al-Ghamdi, led the Saudi delegation during the roundtable at the KSrelief headquarters.
Among the attendees were Assistant Minister of Finance for Macro-Fiscal Policies and International Relations, Abdulmuhsen Alkhalaf; representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance; and representatives from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). On the British side, Melinda Bohannon, Director General of Humanitarian and Development at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), along with several officials, were present.
The discussions at the roundtable focused on sharing approaches related to donor platforms, including the Organization for Economic C
o-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the Central Emergency Response Fund, humanitarian funds, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. The participants explored means of collaboration among donors to maximize the role of humanitarian funding.
Moreover, the dialogue provided an opportunity to exchange insights on the development and humanitarian aid approaches of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, with the aim of fostering cooperation in mutually beneficial areas. This collaboration includes the commitments of the G20 to reform multilateral development banks, making them more effective, larger, and better equipped. It also entails enhancing the role of the IMF in providing improved support to the most vulnerable countries, leveraging financial innovations and significant expansion of private capital to support sustainable development goals.
The collaboration further seeks to ensure greater inclusiveness and effectiveness in international tax coopera
tion, as well as exploring methods of providing assistance to third countries, especially those grappling with or vulnerable to conflicts and instability.
Source: Saudi Press Agency