Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Takes Over OSDG Chairmanship from the Netherlands

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS: During a high-level OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) meeting held in The Hague yesterday, Dr. Aqeel Al Ghamdi, the OCHA Representative from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who is also Head of the Saudi Chairmanship of the ODSG and Assistant Supervisor General of Planning and Development for King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), took over on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the chairmanship of the ODSG from Marriët Schuurman, the Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Chairmanship and Director of the Department for Stabilization and Humanitarian Aid at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was attended by HE Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – OCHA, a number of OCHA sector managers, and representatives from 30 other donor group member states.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will chair the OCHA Donor Support Group from July 2022 to June 2023. Dr. Aqeel Al Ghamdi stated that for many years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provided large amounts of humanitarian aid to many countries. In 2021, Saudi Arabia ranked third among the world’s top humanitarian donor countries, according to the United Nations financial tracking Services (FTS). He added that the Kingdom has provided USD 96 billion in humanitarian and development aid to 156 to middle-income, least-developed, and low-income countries through South-South cooperation and bilateral aid. 

“On behalf of Saudi Arabia,” Dr. Al Ghamdi stated, “I commend the Netherlands for its outstanding leadership and remarkable efforts as ODSG Chair.  The meetings were very well-organized, and the field visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo was exceptional. Furthermore, the Netherlands supported OCHA’s coordinating work for an effective humanitarian response, highlighted the efforts made, and shared the challenges and constraints requiring donor support.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he stated, “Took it upon itself to carry out intensive consultations prior to the preparation of the work plan for its chairmanship. We also must mention the invaluable support from the Troika partners…their insights and constructive engagement helped shape our work plan. I would like to extend my gratitude to OCHA for their guidance and continuous support during the preparation process. I would also like to thank all ODSG members for their keen interest and close collaboration in supporting OCHA and the humanitarian system at large.”

Dr. Al Ghamdi also had this to say on the occasion: “I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the Kingdom’s extensive efforts in consulting with stakeholders during the preparation for its chairmanship and the development of its work plan. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s work plan was prepared by conducting background research on the history, functions, and work of OCHA and the ODSG, reviewing OCHA’s previous strategic plan and the MOPAN Assessments (2017 and 2021), and reaching out to top humanitarian donors and previous chairs, including Troika members. We also conducted bilateral consultations to explore priorities for the work plan, building on previous work.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s vision for its chairmanship,” he added, “is to follow the footsteps of previous chairs in supporting OCHA’s humanitarian coordination role. KSA’s chairmanship comes at a time of new OCHA management and a new Strategic Plan for 2023-2026 that is being developed. The finalization of the Strategic Plan and the kick-off of its implementation will commence during our chairmanship. The Kingdom will build on the efforts of the Netherlands’ chairmanship and work closely in coordination with ODSG members in the finalization of the Plan and its implementation under our chairmanship.” 

Dr. Al Ghamdi continued by saying, “I would like to share with you the outcome of our extensive consultation process…as reflected in the workplan in front of you. The work plan is divided into strategic and thematic priorities. The following strategic priorities were identified: OCHA’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, Results Based Management, and Joint Needs Assessment. 

“KSA intends to work closely with ODSG members to assist OCHA in the smooth implementation of these strategic priorities and effective humanitarian coordination. Regarding the Thematic Priorities, we intend to respond to emerging thematic issues in the broader humanitarian diagnostics relevant to OCHA. These issues include humanitarian access, humanitarian anticipatory action, and humanitarian financing and donor-base broadening.”

Dr. Aqeel also highlighted that, “We are determined to broaden the ODSG donor base, in collaboration with OCHA, the Troika and ODSG members. The approach we intend to follow will be prepared and shared with you all. It is worth mentioning that some development, humanitarian, and financial institutions are keen to work jointly to support humanitarian efforts. We intend to share some ideas on how we may engage in joint efforts with them. Of course, we will seek your guidance and support.”

“As reflected in the schedule of meetings,” he continued, “we intend to hold an ELM or HLM during the 3rd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum in February 2023. The Forum is a great opportunity to drive meaningful, relevant and practical change in humanitarian work. It promotes and endorses the best standards of humanitarian action, develops best practices to reflect the current humanitarian realities, and enhances mechanisms to cope with the changing humanitarian landscape. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also plans to hold events on the sidelines of the ODSG meetings to discuss any relevant or emerging issues and showcase the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts.”

Dr. Al Ghamdi concluded his remarks by saying, “Thank you, and we count on your support during our chairmanship. We look forward to working closely with you all. “