UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos lauded Kuwait as a \"valuable partner\" for UN humanitarian action in the region. \"This year we are showcasing the important role of the corporate sector in humanitarian aid and I am pleased that we can do this from Kuwait, a valuable partner for us in the region,\" Amos said at the opening session the Fourth Annual Conference on Effective Partnership and Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action kick off Tuesday in Kuwait City. \"Businesses in the Gulf countries have a vital contribution to make in helping the most vulnerable people affected by crises,\" she added. The three-day event is organized by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), Direct Aid and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It brings together prominent actors from the government, humanitarian and corporate sectors to tackle the challenges facing humanitarian organizations. \"The conference aims to help alleviate the sufferings of distressed people, \" Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani said. \"Kuwait has a long history in humanitarian action and is a role model in generosity.\" The GCC Chief asserted that the GCC leaders and people are committed to support to international humanitarian work. Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Atta Al-Mannan underlined the importance of an effective partnership among humanitarian organizations to mobilize intentional community to deal with the growing challenges across the globe. He shed lights on the tragic humanitarian situation in countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Burma and African Sahel. For her part Assistant Secretary General of Arab League for Humanitarian Affairs Ambassador Faeqa Al-Saleh said the pan-Arab organization is keen on offering all support to and coordination with governmental and non-governmental humanitarian organizations operative in the Arab region. \"In This regard, the Arab League has recently hammered out cooperation agreements with the International Red Cross and several relief organizations,\" she said. In the meantime, Chairman of the IICO Board, Amir Diwan Advisor and UN Humanitarian Envoy Abduallah Al-Maatouq highlighted the importance of the conference. \"This conference aims to expand the horizons of partnership in the humanitarian field and works actively to raise it to a new level that meets international humanitarian standards. \"This is particularly important given the growing numbers of disasters and the significant increase in humanitarian needs around the world.\" He added that the humanitarian situation in regional countries like Syria and Sudan, the first because of the ongoing civil conflict and the second due to the natural disasters such flood, necessitates offering more support to humanitarian organizations to help it cater for the desperate people. \"Partnership among humanitarian organizations is indispensable to be able to develop and support poor communities,\" Al-Maatouq stressed. Chairman of Kuwait-based Direct Aid charity Abdulrahman Al-Muhailan underlined the need for future plans based on scientific and field research to help humanitarian organizations be prepared for future disasters. He added that there is a need to expand the employment of advanced technology to facilitate humanitarian work. Earlier, Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah delivered the opening speech of the conference. In his speech he reaffirmed keenness to beef up worldwide humanitarian efforts to help people affected by natural disasters, internal crises and wars. He underlined his country\'s support for international efforts in Syria out of its firm belief in helping affected people. The minister said the gathering comes at a critical time that requires concerted efforts to alleviate relevant reflections and to improve the living conditions of world people. On Syria, the minister warned of the aggravating humanitarian tragedy in Syria, including the killing of over 100,000 people and injury of thousands, not to mention internally displaced persons and refugees. He said since the third annual conference on Syria was held in Kuwait in September 2012, the number of Syrian refugees has skyrocketed to one million from 260,000 last year. Furthermore, 4,250 have been internally displaced compared to 1.2 million last year, he said. Such figures require the UN and all other international bodies involved to shoulder due legal and moral responsibilities to ease out the sufferings and pains of the Syrian people, to stop bloodshed in the country and to ensure aid access to them, the minister urged. He reiterated Kuwait\'s support for humanitarian efforts, pointing to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah\'s response to a UN call for hosting a donor conference on Syria, which drew USD 1.6 billion, including USD 300 million from Kuwait. In this context, he urged other countries to meet their pledges to help the Syrian people. Appreciating the humanitarian efforts of the Kuwaiti private sector and charities, the minister hoped that the conference would come up with tangible results that could lead to the improvement of coordination among international humanitarian organizations to help affected people worldwide. The conferees will address a number of key humanitarian issues facing the world, including how to build and sustain partnerships, working with partners in complex emergencies and developing effective networks to strengthen humanitarian action in the field. The speakers come from organizations operating in some of the world\'s most challenging humanitarian contexts and from organizations working behind the scenes. They include representatives from the Saudi National Campaign to Support Brothers in Syria, Qatar Red Crescent Society, IICO, UN, International Humanitarian City, Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Caritas and the International Islamic Relief Organization. The conference highlights the increasing involvement of the youth and corporate sector in humanitarian initiatives.