Riyadh – February 2026. Building on an exceptionally strong start to the year for Partnerships, UNDP Saudi Arabia welcomed Mr. Jaco Cilliers, Special Representative of the UNDP Administrator to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP), for a series of strategic engagements in Riyadh and Jeddah. The visit came as part of UNDP Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to deepen collaboration with key Saudi institutions and regional partners, with a view to advancing more coordinated, visible, and impact-driven cooperation particularly on humanitarian and early recovery priorities.

One of the most important components of Mr. Cilliers’ meetings was his discussion with Dr. Abdullah Al Moallem, Director of  the Health and Environmental Aid Department, and Dr. Hana Omar, Senior Advisor to the Supervisor General and Director of International Relations and Partnerships at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief). Discussions emphasized the existing emergency water intervention in the Gaza Strip, helping restore access to water for the most affected and vulnerable communities. Through the Kingdom’s generous contribution, UNDP-PAPP has already delivered 213,526 m³ of water through trucking, an average delivery rate of 1,800 m³ per day, as well as distributed 34,400 jerrycans and buckets out of 43,032 units manufactured and delivered into Gaza. The two sides also discussed the Kingdom’s support to the Palestinian people through emergency removal of conflict-generated debris, early recovery support for safe and dignified housing rehabilitation, and support for sustainable, dignified access to water for the people of the Gaza Strip in the longer term through the use of solar powered desalination units.

During his time in Riyadh, Mr. Cilliers also took the opportunity to meet with the UNDP Resident Representative in Saudi Arabia, Ms. Nahid Hussein, to exchange views on how UNDP can strengthen its partnerships with Saudi-based institutions. Another key milestone during the mission was his meeting at the headquarters of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), where Deputy CEO Eng. Faisal Alkahtani received Mr. Cilliers in the presence of UNDP Representative for Saudi Arabia Ms. Nahid Hussein. The discussions reviewed the Kingdom’s generous contributions to dignified housing in the Gaza Strip and its other development activities worldwide. They also explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation, reflecting a shared interest in leveraging Saudi development leadership to support sustainable recovery and longer-term resilience.

The mission also included a productive exchange with Dr. Abdel Aziz AlUwaisheg Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretariat General, focused on advancing regional cooperation and shared development priorities. These engagements underscored the Gulf’s growing convening role through the Riyadh-based Secretariat at the intersection of multilateralism and humanitarian coordination, and highlighted the value of aligning partnerships around triangulation with Member States in the region.

The mission continued in Jeddah, where Mr. Cilliers held meetings with the view to broaden cooperation across humanitarian response, early recovery, development, and financing. Engagements included discussions with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through its Assistant Secretary General for Palestine Affairs Ambassador Samir Baker and the Director of the Islamic Cooperation Humanitarian Affairs Department Dr. Aishah Shami Alayafi. The UNDP-PAPP delegation then held a meeting with the Organization’s humanitarian grant arm the Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF) to explore potential synergies and complementary mandates. These meetings were followed by a robust all-day programme of meetings with the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) to consider programme opportunities, financing pathways, and alignment around shared priorities, including through its Al Aqsa Fund, Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development and the Fragility and Resilience Team. Notably, IsDB recently launched the IsDB Concessional Fund at the Second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, representing a decisive evolution in the bank’s support architecture to address the urgent needs of its 27 least developed member countries.

Overall, the mission reinforced UNDP’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in the Kingdom in a way that connects UNDP programming and delivery around the world to the humanitarian support, recovery and sustainable development pathways in partnership with the Kingdom. It also highlighted the potential of Saudi-based institutions and regional platforms to contribute meaningfully to coordinated responses and longer-term resilience, including in fragile and crisis-affected contexts such as Palestine.