The King Salman Humanitarian and Aid Center participated in two seminars on humanitarian issues in Yemen on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council at United Nations Headquarters in Geneva. The Center was introduced by the Director of the Center for Medical and Environmental Assistance of the Department Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Moallem, and Director of Community Support Department, Dr. Khana Omar Salem.
The first symposium discussed the humanitarian and emergency assistance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Yemen and how this assistance contributed to the improvement of the situation of the people in Yemen, and the second symposium discussed the issue of mine proliferation in Yemeni lands and the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is in clearing these mines as part of the Masam project, dedicated to clearing Yemeni lands. Of the mines laid by the Houthi militias that have claimed the lives of thousands of children, women and the elderly, caused permanent disability, burdened health and sanitation facilities, and caused economic damage to individuals and communities, as more than $167 million was spent to remove these mines , as well as training Yemeni brothers in the handling and training of mines, pointing out that the militias are planting these mines and that there are more than a million mines in Yemeni territory, and the problems facing humanitarian demining activities, such as the lack of maps of mine sites and the randomness of their planting, and the development of certain types of mines, such as anti-tank mines, which are used against people, in addition to the impact and reality of mines on the present and future of Yemen, and most importantly, pressure from the international community on the Houthis to prevent the planting of mines, especially in residential areas.
The two workshops were attended by the United Nations Office of Anti-Personnel Mine, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Mr. William David Gersley, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
