Abu Dhabi: The UAE is a global leader in providing humanitarian assistance, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Mohammad’s comments came at the launch of the UAE Foreign Aid Report 2013 on Monday in Abu Dhabi. “The UAE does not provide conditional assistance or wait for returns. The UAE simply wants stability and welfare for the people around the world,” he said.
The UAE provided Dh21.5 billion in foreign aid in 2013, the highest achieved by any country in 50 years,according to the report released by the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development. Shaikh Mohammad attributed the achievement to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other UAE Rulers, who continued in the approach laid down by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. “Today, we have more than 38 humanitarian organisations that are carrying out charitable activities around the world,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
Shaikh Mohammad later honoured the 38 humanitarian and donor organisations. He expressed his satisfaction with the results, and said that the volume of assistance documented in the report reflects the humanitarian values consolidated by the UAE’s founding fathers when the nation was established, and added that such values are encouraged by Islam.
A majority of donations were for development, which amounted to Dh20.46 billion, 94.6 per cent of total aid, compared to Dh5.07 billion provided in 2012. Charity aid came second with Dh640 million spent, accounting for 2.95 per cent of total aid. Humanitarian amounted to Dh530 million, 2.45 per cent of aid, compared to Dh400 million spent in 2012.
The report indicates that Dh13.77 billion of development aid was provided as grants, while Dh7.86 billion was provided as loans. Grants accounted for 63.64 per cent of development aid, while grants reached 36.36 per cent.
The report also highlights the geographic distribution of UAE aid. African countries received the largest share of foreign aid with Dh18.1 billion compared to Dh958 million provided in 2011. Asia accounted for Dh2.7 billion of aid, while countries in Europe, North and South America and Oceania received Dh811 million.
As for Emirati donors in 2013, government aid had the highest contribution of 82.6 per cent accounting for Dh17.9 billion. Aid provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development came second with Dh1.7 billion.
Aid provided by the Khalifa Bin Zayed Foundation placed third with Dh777 million, 3.59 per cent of aid, while Emirates Red Crescent provided aid valued at Dh566.5 million, 2.62 per cent of aid.
Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development, and other shaikhs and senior officials were present.
