- Decades-long cooperation focuses on missing persons, civilian protection, international humanitarian law and life-saving assistance across conflict zones
- Kuwait and ICRC deepen humanitarian partnership as regional crises intensify
- From missing persons to Gaza: Kuwait and ICRC sustain decades-long humanitarian cooperation
- Kuwait’s humanitarian partnership with ICRC extends from Gulf War legacy to regional crises
By Rabih Kallas
Special to The Times Kuwait
Kuwait and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have developed a strategic humanitarian partnership spanning decades, combining diplomatic engagement, institutional cooperation and international relief efforts to address the consequences of armed conflict across the region and beyond.
The partnership, rooted in the humanitarian response to the 1990–1991 Gulf War, continues to focus on the search for people missing from that period, the protection of civilians, respect for international humanitarian law and assistance to communities affected by conflict.
The ICRC regards Kuwait’s experience of war and its lasting impact on families as an important foundation for cooperation, particularly in keeping the issue of missing persons on the international agenda. Thirty-five years after the conflict, families continue to await answers about the fate of their loved ones, underscoring the enduring humanitarian consequences of war long after the fighting ends.
Cooperation extends across several Kuwaiti institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for International Humanitarian Law and legal institutions working to strengthen understanding and implementation of the rules governing armed conflict.
The ICRC’s longstanding engagement with the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies includes training for judges and prosecutors. Under an agreement with the organisation, the institute became a regional centre for this work. Engagement with universities and the media also forms part of efforts to promote informed discussion of conflict, civilian protection and humanitarian principles.
The Kuwait Red Crescent Society remains a key partner in translating humanitarian commitments into practical assistance. Cooperation includes healthcare support in Sudan, while collaboration with the Kuwait Fund supports water and health services in Somalia. Partnerships with Kuwaiti charitable organisations, including Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nouri Charity, further extend assistance to vulnerable communities across the region and beyond.
The annual High-Level Strategic Dialogue between Kuwait and the ICRC provides a framework for setting priorities and coordinating efforts. At its fourth session, attended by the ICRC president and director-general, discussions resulted in contributions and agreements supporting operations in Syria, Somalia and Sudan, alongside strengthened cooperation on missing persons and respect for international humanitarian law.
The ICRC sees Kuwait’s distinctive contribution in its ability to combine diplomatic engagement, institutional expertise and humanitarian resources while maintaining attention on protracted crises that may receive less international coverage.
Search for Kuwait’s missing remains a priority
The fate of Kuwaitis and others who went missing during the Gulf War remains one of the partnership’s most enduring humanitarian priorities. The ICRC continues to work with Kuwaiti and Iraqi authorities and other members of the Tripartite Commission, which it chairs, to analyse information, exchange expertise and support searches and technical examinations.
The organisation has also facilitated the transfer of bone samples, human remains and personal effects from Iraq to Kuwait. Such recoveries represent important progress, but they do not automatically establish a missing person’s identity. Identification requires careful forensic examination and verification by the competent authorities.
Modern technologies are helping investigators narrow the search for missing persons. Satellite imagery, drone surveys and data analysis can be combined with witness accounts and historical records to identify locations warranting closer examination.
However, these tools cannot independently confirm the presence of human remains or establish an individual’s identity. Their value lies in directing search teams towards specific locations, while forensic procedures, including DNA testing, remain essential to identification.
For the families concerned, the objective is not simply to recover remains or collect information, but to obtain confirmed answers about what happened to their relatives. The ICRC considers their right and need to know central to the continuing search.
Gaza: humanitarian access and civilian protection remain critical
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains a major concern, with repeated displacement, widespread destruction and severe difficulties accessing food, clean water and medical care leaving families in increasingly precarious conditions. The ICRC has warned against allowing the scale and duration of the suffering to become normalised. Its director-general, Pierre Krähenbühl, has described the situation as “hell on earth”, reflecting the devastating impact on civilians who have lost homes, security and access to essential services.
Any reduction in hostilities, the organisation maintains, must translate into tangible improvements in daily life, including reliable access to food, water, shelter and healthcare. The ICRC’s field hospital in Rafah has delivered more than 200,000 medical consultations and performed over 12,000 surgical interventions. These figures highlight both the scale of medical needs and the importance of protecting healthcare facilities, personnel and supply routes.
Working with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and other partners, the ICRC continues to support healthcare, repairs to water networks and assistance to affected communities. However, extensive damage and restrictions on supplies and access limit the scale of the response. The organisation has stressed that even seemingly minor items, such as water pipes and spare parts, can determine whether essential services serving thousands of people can resume operations.
Humanitarian assistance, it argues, must enter Gaza rapidly, without obstruction and in sufficient quantities to meet civilian needs. Equipment required to restore essential infrastructure must also be allowed in, while medical teams, humanitarian workers and the facilities where they operate must be protected.
Kuwait can continue contributing through humanitarian assistance and diplomatic engagement, the ICRC maintains, while countries with influence over the parties to the conflict have a responsibility to help remove barriers to aid and strengthen civilian protection. The organisation has emphasised that humanitarian agencies cannot compensate on their own for the consequences of political inaction.
Regional escalation raises wider humanitarian concerns
The ICRC is also monitoring the potential humanitarian consequences of escalating regional tensions, including recent Iranian attacks affecting countries in the region. Building on its regional presence and established relationships with authorities and Red Crescent societies, the organisation works with partners to monitor needs, strengthen coordination and improve preparedness for possible deterioration in security conditions.
Cooperation includes training and exchanges of expertise, with additional support guided by humanitarian needs and coordinated with relevant authorities and organisations. National societies, including the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, remain essential partners in these efforts. Alongside operational preparedness, the ICRC continues engaging with parties to conflicts on compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and essential infrastructure.
The organisation has warned that further escalation could intensify humanitarian needs in a region already affected by prolonged conflicts. Its experience in conflict zones demonstrates that military decisions can have consequences for families and communities lasting for decades. While preparedness remains necessary, the ICRC considers de-escalation and political action to protect civilians equally urgent.
Hormuz tensions could affect vulnerable communities worldwide
The strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz extends beyond regional security and maritime trade. The ICRC has warned that disruptions to shipping and the movement of essential commodities could have serious humanitarian consequences for communities thousands of kilometres away.
Interruptions to fuel and fertiliser supplies can increase costs, undermine agricultural production and make food less affordable for vulnerable households. The organisation has already observed reduced fuel imports in places such as the Horn of Africa and Myanmar, while further disruptions to fertiliser production or deliveries could affect harvests in the current and following years.
Such consequences would be particularly severe in communities already struggling with conflict, poverty and limited resources to absorb additional economic shocks. Environmental damage presents another concern. Oil spills, water contamination and harm to marine life could create lasting problems for coastal communities and threaten the resources on which their livelihoods depend.The ICRC’s assessment highlights how disruptions to a critical maritime corridor can extend far beyond the immediate area of confrontation, compounding humanitarian pressures in already vulnerable regions.
Yemen continues to face severe humanitarian needs
Yemen remains another major focus of the ICRC’s regional operations, with prolonged conflict continuing to place civilians under pressure and damage healthcare facilities, water systems and other essential infrastructure. The organisation has warned that the possibility of a wider conflict could further deteriorate conditions for communities already facing years of insecurity and displacement.
On the ground, the ICRC recently delivered 22 tonnes of medical supplies to support hospitals. Its surgical team is working alongside Yemeni medical staff at Marib General Hospital, while the organisation supports Yemen Red Crescent Society ambulance services on both sides of the front lines.
Ensuring that wounded people can reach medical treatment and that hospitals remain operational despite fighting continues to be a priority. The ICRC also maintains dialogue with conflict parties on civilian protection and the humane treatment of detainees. It has welcomed recent dialogue and the signing of agreements between the parties concerning detainees, stressing that releases and family reunifications can help ease prolonged suffering and build trust.
As a neutral humanitarian intermediary, the organisation stands ready to facilitate releases, transfers and repatriations when the parties are prepared to implement the agreements. For families awaiting the return of detained or missing relatives, the ICRC says, continued dialogue must lead to practical action rather than remain limited to commitments.
Funding pressures threaten humanitarian operations
As conflicts multiply and become more protracted, humanitarian organisations are facing mounting financial pressures at a time when needs continue to rise. The ICRC has highlighted the contrast between increasing military expenditure and shrinking resources available to address the humanitarian consequences of war. Funding shortfalls can translate directly into reduced access to medical treatment, clean water and other assistance on which vulnerable communities depend.
In Afghanistan, for example, the organisation has had to make sharper operational priorities to maintain its presence among communities facing severe needs amid declining international attention. The ICRC says it remains responsible for ensuring that contributions are used efficiently and that donors receive clear information about what their funding makes possible, as well as the services that could be affected by cuts.
For crises receiving limited media attention, the flexibility of funding is particularly important. Contributions restricted entirely to specific emergencies or projects can limit the organisation’s ability to respond to urgent needs elsewhere. Flexible, unearmarked funding allows resources to be directed towards the most pressing humanitarian priorities, while early and sustained commitments help organisations plan operations and maintain essential services.
The ICRC has stressed that flexible funding does not reduce accountability. The organisation remains committed to reporting to donors on how and where their contributions are spent. As humanitarian needs continue to grow across Gaza, Yemen, Syria and other conflict-affected areas, the organisation’s central message is that sustained support, effective partnerships and respect for international humanitarian law must remain integral to the international response.
For Kuwait, its established relationship with the ICRC provides a framework for continuing to contribute through diplomacy, institutional cooperation and humanitarian assistance. The partnership’s long-term significance lies not only in responding to immediate emergencies, but also in maintaining support for missing persons, protecting civilians and sustaining essential services for communities whose suffering often continues long after international attention has moved elsewhere.
Photos by Abdalla Al Khalaf
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