A Grant Agreement was signed today in Kuwait between the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, whereby Kuwait Fund will provide a Grant in the amount of 2.770 Million US Dollars for Supporting Children with Cancer in the Syrian Arab Republic.

                        The Grant Agreement was signed on behalf of the UNICEF by the Regional Representative for the Gulf Area Mr. Eltayed Adam and by Mr. Ghanem S. Al-Ghenaiman, Acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

                        The program aims to support the main pediatric cancer hospitals treating cancer cases among children in the Syrian Arab Republic, in order to reduce mortality among children, and will also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focusing on Goal 3 to "ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages", including indicators 3.2.1. Under-five mortality rate and 3.8.1.: Coverage of essential health services. The program consists of supplying the four main operational pediatrics cancer hospitals with oncology medicines for children with cancer, including Al-Baironi Hospital in Rural Damascus, University Children Hospital in Damascus, Tishreen University Hospital in Lattakia, University Hospital in Aleppo. The program is intended to cover all fourteen Syrian Governorates by transferring all cancer cases among children to the four main hospitals mentioned, and it is expected that the number of beneficiaries will reach 4,000 children.

                        This will be the sixth grant between the Kuwait Fund and UNICEF, whereby the Fund had previously signed two agreements with the Organization in 2017 to contribute to alleviating famine in Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria and Somalia, and to contribute to addressing the Cholera Epidemic in Yemen, and two agreements were signed in 2019 to contribute to Providing Clean Water for the Gaza Strip, another to provide Measles Vaccines for Syrian and Lebanese Children in the Lebanese Republic, and another in 2020 to contribute to Supporting the Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 among the internally displaced areas in the Syrian Arab Republic. The year 2019 also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding concerned with coordination and cooperation with the organization in all development and humanitarian fields, in addition to exchanging experiences and forging partnerships.