(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, June 13 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait on Monday voiced concern that there are many challenges affecting human rights protection efforts in the Arab region.
Addressing the 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Kuwait''s permanent representative to the United Nations and International Organizations Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim said: "Wars and armed conflicts in some Arab countries are still destructively affecting our brotherly people and their civil institutions. Nobody can escape the fire of such conflicts." In this context, he reiterated Kuwait''s sharp condemnation of Israeli forces'' nonstop violations against the disarmed Palestinian people in breach of international and humanitarian laws.
He called on the international community to live up to responsibility by providing necessary protection for the Palestinian people who have been under Israeli occupation and oppression for over four decades.
However, the Kuwaiti diplomat vowed that his country would continue supporting the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation until they could set up their own independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
For example, Kuwait has launched a USD-200-million program for reconstruction efforts in southern cities in the Gaza Strip through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), including the building of 1,500 housing unit and economic and infrastructure projects.
On Syria, he said Kuwait has responded to all humanitarian initiatives launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for providing humanitarian and relief aid to the Syrian people by hosting three donors'' conferences.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti diplomat considered the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as a good chance for assessing its work, welcoming a high-level debate on challenges and achievements over the last 10 years.
ta.mt