Prince Naif gets UN honor for supporting Palestinians

The United Nations on Friday honored Prince Naif for his support of Palestinian development projects and said the late crown prince would be remembered for his humanitarian endeavors. Speaking in New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his “heartfelt appreciation” to the Saudi leadership. “Their financial support is making a concrete difference in the lives of hundreds of Palestinian families, improving conditions in communities and contributing to peace, security and stability,” Ban said. He presented the “Outstanding Donor Award for the Special Human Settlements Program for the Palestinian People” to Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN. “The late crown prince will be remembered for his commitment to humanitarian and relief work all over the world,” said Ban. Prince Naif was the supervisor-general of the Saudi Committee for Palestinian People’s Relief and was also supervisor-general for the campaign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the Relief of the Palestinian People in Gaza. The campaign has offered $17 million to the UN-Habitat Special Human Settlements Program for the Palestinian people, according to the agency. This represents the largest donation to the agency, the UN said. “He (the late crown prince) was particularly committed to the work of UN-Habitat, especially in support of housing and income generating projects for families in Palestine,” Ban added at a ceremony that included Joan Clos, executive director of the UN Human Settlements Program, and Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. Ban also noted that in Hebron governorate of the West Bank, the Saudi organizations have supported programs at Technical and Vocational Training Center and the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz City for Charity Housing and Income Generating Projects for Underprivileged Women. In addition, the Prince Naif Project for Reconstruction in Gaza supports the reconstruction of 100 new housing units with eco-friendly “green measures” for non-refugee families in the Gaza Strip whose houses where destroyed during the Gaza conflict. Al-Mouallimi said he was honored to receive the award on behalf of the late prince. “Saudi Arabia is the largest donor for building houses for the Palestinian people, especially for rebuilding those homes destroyed by the Israeli forces,” he said. He said Saudi Arabia has been extending all forms of assistance to the Palestinians through various funds and regional and international organizations. Source: ArabNews