Kuwait’s support to IOM humanitarian efforts transforms lives of thousands worldwide

• By the end of 2023, 75.9 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced. Of these, 68.3 million were displaced by conflict and violence, and 7.7 million by disasters.

• Approximately two-thirds of the world’s displaced people are internally displaced persons, according to the IOM World Migration Report 2024.

With generous funding from Kuwait, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recently completed two projects in Afghanistan and Ukraine, significantly enhancing the lives of vulnerable populations.

In Ukraine, the project improved municipal sanitation services by upgrading the sewage systems that serve 120,000 people. It also improved access to safe water for 1,500 households (serving 4,500 people) by replacing one kilometer of old asbestos-cement water pipes with new polyethylene ones, using technologies that comply with safety regulations.

Additionally, IOM procured and installed 1,275 electric water heaters ‘boilers’ with 50 and 100-liter capacities, contributing to dignified living conditions for 2,235 people in social institutions, dormitories, health care facilities, and schools.

In Afghanistan, the project established and improved community centers in informal settlements, serving as hubs for activities that promote education, healthcare, skill development, and social cohesion. IOM also created a Camp Coordination and Camp Management mobile team that worked with the entire community.

In response to the earthquake in Herat, the mobile team assisted 1,580 individuals by providing protection services. During the influx of returnees from Pakistan at the Torkham border, the team conducted awareness-raising sessions on protection, reaching 2,283 individuals.

Currently, funding from Kuwait is supporting two additional projects in response to the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

According to the recently launched IOM World Migration Report 2024, annual global figures show that approximately two-thirds of the world’s displaced people are internally displaced persons (IDPs).

By the end of 2023, 75.9 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced. Of these, 68.3 million were displaced by conflict and violence, and 7.7 million by disasters.

“Saving lives and protecting people on the move is one of the three objectives we are working on as per the IOM global strategy that was launched at the beginning of the year. For 2024, IOM globally is aiming to assist 41.2 million persons affected by crisis in 43 countries, including Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Gaza, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan,” said Mazen AboulHosn, IOM Kuwait Chief of Mission.