Dubai: A United Nations report launched on Sunday in Dubai said $40 billion is needed every year to help people impacted by conflicts and natural disasters, noting that some of that money may come from taxing football games and tapping into Islamic finance.
The report was launched by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“The UAE under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has emerged a frontrunner in international assistance and the number one globally in humanitarian aid,” Shaikh Mohammad said. He expressed the country’s appreciation for “the decision of the UN to choose the UAE and the emirate of Dubai for launching the report on its soil and among its people. This step is clear evid-ence of the global confidence in our nation, our emirate and our people who have been making every possible effort to stand by humanity, support truth and confront all forms of injustice.”
The UAE has topped the list of donor countries in the world compared to its national income, the UN chief said. “The UAE occupies a high place among people with whom its missions have worked and who have benefited from its aid. The country’s international credibility provides the UN work that is carried out from here — from the emirate of Dubai — with the requisite factors of success and sustainability,” he said.
The gap between the increasing numbers of people in need of assistance and sufficient resources to provide relief is rising, Ban noted. “The world today spends close to $25 billion annually to provide part of the required assistance to save lives and the people in need. Despite the generosity of many donors, there still remains a gap in the financing of humanitarian aid estimated at $15 billion,” he said.
