Zain Group and UNRWA Sign Cooperative Agreements to Support UNRWA’s Health and Education Projects
- Zain Jordan to establish a relief fund for Palestinian refugees in the Kingdom
- First ever partnership of its type to take place between the UN humanitarian organization and a private sector company
(Picture left to right: Zain Jordan CEO Dr Abdul Malek Al Jaber, UNRWA's Commissioner General Filippo Grandi, Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah)
Amman - June 13, 2010
Zain Group and Zain Jordan signed two cooperative agreements with The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to support and finance the agency’s largely under-funded health and educational projects and extend a helping hand to around 5 million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
The two agreements, marking the launch of a regional SMS fund-raising campaign and a Relief Fund dedicated to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, are part of a wider strategic partnership agreement which was signed between Zain Jordan and UNRWA in November 2009. Said partnership is the first to ever take place between the UN humanitarian organization and a private sector company, entailing both fundraising and human development support to the benefit of Palestinian refugees.
The first agreement, signed by Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah and UNRWA's Commissioner General Filippo Grandi, aims at launching a regional fund raising media campaign in support of UNRWA’s projects. The six week campaign will be broadcasted on satellite channels and will promote UNRWA's values and humane objectives marking its 60-year anniversary. The campaign will also enable Zain's 31 million customers to support the programs of UNRWA to donate money in support of the agency's several programs in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza strip, and the occupied west bank by sending a SMS through special assigned numbers. The proceeds of these messages will go entirely to the benefit of UNRWA.
Upon the second agreement, signed by Zain Jordan CEO Dr. Abdul Malek Al Jaber, the company will establish a relief fund and allocate an annual budget to improve the living conditions for Palestinian refugees in Jordan by providing financial aid for their families.
In a keynote speech, Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah said that the Zain Group is proud to extend a helping hand to UNRWA and support its noble efforts. He added that the group places heavy emphasis on the role of corporate social responsibility in all the countries in which it operates. “We stress that our initiatives are in support of the social and economic well being of these communities in a way that responds to their needs” Bin Salamah said. “Zain supports various sectors including education, which the company supports in Jordan through the Zain Education Fund, in addition to supporting the health sector in Kuwait, e-learning in Bahrain, art & culture in Iraq and developing rural areas in Sudan” he added.
On the campaigns, Bin Salamah said: “We are confident that millions of Zain customers and more people all over the world will truly live the month of giving and unity by donating generously for this noble humanitarian cause”.
UNRWA's Commissioner General Filippo Grandi said: “The fund raising campaign is a prime example of how private and public entities can complement each other in helping Palestinian refugees and supporting human development in the Middle East”. He added that the specific cooperation with Zain is extremely timely to help address the dire needs of Palestine refugees at a time when UNRWA Programs face a USD 100 million deficit.
On his part, Zain Jordan CEO Dr. Abdul Malek Al Jaber said: “We are proud to be delivering on a promise that we made seven months ago when we announced a unique partnership with UNRWA designed to support the activities of this largely under-funded humanitarian relief agency”.
Al Jaber said that the Zain Relief Fund for Refugees aims to respond to the urgent needs of registered refugees during an emergency situation. It will also offer financial assistance to a wide spectrum of cases to help secure their basic, medical or educational needs. He further noted that Zain deployed its network and advanced technology to serve the schools of UNRWA and link them to the latest technologies.
Al Jaber said that the Zain Relief Fund for Refugees aims to respond to the urgent needs of registered refugees during an emergency situation. It will also offer financial assistance to a wide spectrum of cases to help secure their basic, medical or educational needs. He further noted that Zain deployed its network and advanced technology to serve the schools of UNRWA and link them to the latest technologies.
“As we have promised, we at Zain Jordan are committed to providing all our resources in order to advance hope for a better future to the refugee population” said Al Jaber, adding that Zain looks forward to launching more projects in the future that will tangibly help ease the daily suffering of Palestinian refugees.
Since its establishment in 1950, UNRWA has been the primary source of services for around 5 million refugees in the Middle East. The agency has been providing services for four generations of displaced people including food, clothes, shelter, education and health services.
In Jordan, the agency operates in 10 official camps, where 338,000 out of 1.951 million refugees are registered. It also works in 27 camps hosting 688.3 thousand refugees out of 1.836 million registered in Palestine.
ENDS
About Zain
Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East providing mobile voice and data services to over 31.4 million active customers as at 31 March 2010 with a commercial presence in 8 countries. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages ‘mtc-touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a stake in Wana Telecom through a joint venture.
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