Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah has told the UN General Assembly in New York that the international community must work on a “universal strategy” to deal with the growing threat of terrorism.

Speaking at the conference on 29 September, Al-Sabah said a universal approach was required to “combat terrorism” and “achieve international peace and security”.

“Our region faces exceptionally delicate dangers that threaten its security and stability, as a result of the phenomenon of terrorism and violence, which has made Islam its slogan to commit its criminal acts rejected by all divine religions,” he said.

“The brutal crimes committed by the so-called Daesh [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis)], spreading death and destruction, particularly in Iraq and Syria, constitute a threat to international peace and security,” said the prime minister.

In June this year, Kuwait suffered one of its worst ever terrorist attacks, when a Saudi national carried out a bombing of a mosque, killing 27 people and injuring more than 200.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque in the Sawber district of Kuwait on 26 June.

Al-Sabah told the UN General Assembly that the crisis in Syria can only be solved through “political peaceful means”.

He also spoke of the crisis in Yemen, saying the Houthi rebels were “breaching their commitments, and threatening the security and stability of our region and our countries”.

Al-Sabah told the assembly that Kuwait had held three international donor conferences for Syria, raising a total of $7.15bn – $1.3bn from Kuwait – for Syrian people afflicted by the conflict. He also noted that Kuwait had contributed $100m in humanitarian aid for Yemenis.  

To underline his country’s commitment to providing aid to countries throughout the Arab world, the prime minister told the assembly that the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development had allocated $15bn to improve sustainable development in developing Arab nations.