KSrelief Supports Life-Saving Reproductive Health Program in Yemen

The funding will help increase access to reproductive health services for women and girls. Asharq Al-Awsat
The funding will help increase access to reproductive health services for women and girls. Asharq Al-Awsat
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KSrelief Supports Life-Saving Reproductive Health Program in Yemen

The funding will help increase access to reproductive health services for women and girls. Asharq Al-Awsat
The funding will help increase access to reproductive health services for women and girls. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has announced a contribution of $2.5 million, supporting the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to provide life-saving reproductive health services to the most vulnerable women and girls in Yemen.

The funding will help increase access to reproductive health services for women and girls, with support to 15 health facilities and 50 community midwives in southern parts of the country.

This support aims to reach more than 350,000 women and girls in the next 12 months, enabling pregnant women to deliver safely, while addressing other reproductive health complications such as obstetric fistula.

UNFPA appealed for $87 million over the next six months to urgently fund its life-saving response for the reproductive health and protection of the affected women and girls.

An estimated 8.1 million women and girls of childbearing age in Yemen require help accessing reproductive health services.

Only one in five of the functioning health facilities provide maternal and child health services due to extreme shortages of essential medicines, supplies and specialized staff.

“As the humanitarian crisis in Yemen enters its eighth year, the situation for women and girls of childbearing age is increasingly dire,”' said UNFPA Arab States Regional Director Luay Shabaneh.

He thanked KSrelief for recognizing the enormous needs for the health and protection of women and girls in Yemen and partnering with UNFPA to maintain vital reproductive health services.

KSrelief has been a longstanding partner of UNFPA in Yemen, helping to reach hundreds of thousands of women and girls with reproductive health and protection information and services since 2015.

Separately, Director of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) in Aden Eng. Ahmed Madkhali held talks on Friday with Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan.

Discussions touched on the SDRPY’s implemented projects and the upcoming projects in Taiz.

Shamsan hailed the SDRPY’s strategic projects, interventions and various activities in the governorate, Saba news agency reported.

Madkhali, for his part, reviewed reports of the implemented projects and announced a plan to implement more in the future.

He underlined the great importance the Program leadership attaches to the governorate and keenness to alleviate people’s suffering.



Turkish Parliament Ratifies Makkah Defense Pact

General view of the Turkish Parliament. (Reuters – File Photo)
General view of the Turkish Parliament. (Reuters – File Photo)
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Turkish Parliament Ratifies Makkah Defense Pact

General view of the Turkish Parliament. (Reuters – File Photo)
General view of the Turkish Parliament. (Reuters – File Photo)

Türkiye's parliament ratified a regional defense pact involving Saudi Arabia and Pakistan overnight, state media reported.

The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in August, committing them to come to one another's aid if any member is attacked.

Lawmakers approved the measure by 279 votes to 119, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

During parliamentary debates, ruling AKP lawmaker Ziya Altunyaldiz said the agreement was not directed against any third country and was intended to prevent conflicts rather than escalate them, Anadolu reported.


Coalition Destroys Drone in Makkah, 2 Ballistic Missiles Fired at Najran

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Coalition Destroys Drone in Makkah, 2 Ballistic Missiles Fired at Najran

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki announced on Friday the interception and downing of a drone over the Makkah Region. 

Saudi defenses had earlier destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the terrorist Houthi militia at Saudi Arabia's Najran, he added. 

Debris fell as a result of the interception, and an assessment of the damage is currently underway. 


Saudi Arabia and Türkiye Seek to Strengthen Security Cooperation

(L) Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif and (R) his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Ciftci. (SPA)
(L) Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif and (R) his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Ciftci. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia and Türkiye Seek to Strengthen Security Cooperation

(L) Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif and (R) his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Ciftci. (SPA)
(L) Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif and (R) his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Ciftci. (SPA)

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif met his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Ciftci, in Ankara on Thursday for talks focused on strengthening security cooperation between the two countries.

Prince Abdulaziz said the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman emphasized the importance of further developing bilateral security cooperation, building on the close ties between the two countries.

Prince Abdulaziz said the two countries' longstanding historical and fraternal ties had set an example of cooperation and coordination across various fields.

He said the Makkah Defense Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, reflects the strength of Riyadh-Ankara relations and their converging strategic interests and priorities amid the current geopolitical landscape. The agreement marks an important step that demonstrates the two countries' leaderships' commitment to addressing regional and international crises, he added.

The talks focused on strengthening security cooperation and coordination, including efforts to combat extremist groups and cross-border crimes such as drug smuggling and trafficking, amid regional and global challenges.

Both sides stressed the importance of further strengthening security cooperation in areas of mutual interest, developing partnership frameworks and coordinating efforts on security issues in line with the aspirations of their countries' leaderships.