Geneva : Saudi Arabia is a key partner in international development and is among the world’s top donors as the provision of external assistance and donations are significant aspects of its foreign policy, Arab News reported Thursday.
In a speech delivered at the Human Rights Council by Faisal bin Trad, Saudi ambassador to the UN, he said that the Kingdom is keen to proceed with its policy of providing assistance to many Islamic and non-Islamic countries.
He added that the total aid Saudi Arabia provided for developing countries from 1973 to 2009 amounted to $99.75 billion, surpassing the UN targeted rate of development aid worth 0.7 percent out of the gross domestic product of donor countries.
During a dialogue session held by the Human Rights Council with the UN rapporteur in charge of poverty and human rights Phillipe Altson, Trad said Saudi Arabia pays close attention to combating poverty and achieving a reasonable living level at both domestic and foreign levels.
He added that more than 875,000 families in the Kingdom benefit from the services of social insurance, bringing over SR1,150,000,000 ($306.6 million) monthly the amount paid by the government to needy ones.—AG/IINA