Dubai: Since the UAE’s union 42 years ago, the UAE and its leaders have been known for their philanthropic and generous humanitarian spirit. The UAE is and has always been among the first countries to respond to crises and extend a helping hand to people in need inside and outside the country.
This comes as no surprise, as giving and helping those in need is ingrained in the nation’s heritage, religion and culture.
Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, was the symbol of giving and generosity. Ramadan 19, which is the death anniversary of Shaikh Zayed, was named “Zayed Humanitarian Day” earlier this year and will be an annual event that aims to inculcate the spirit of philanthropy.
Mohammad Al Qudsi, a media adviser who was the first television presenter to announce the UAE’s Union back in 1971, had said in an event during Ramadan, that in the 34 years Shaikh Zayed ruled the country, the UAE sent Dh26 billion in foreign aid to 59 countries across the world.
This philanthropy has not stopped with the passing of Shaikh Zayed, but continues through his legacy — his sons, the other rulers of the UAE, the people of the UAE and the many humanitarian organisations that thrive in the UAE.
According to the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD), the UAE gave Dh120.9 billion to development projects, Dh4.8 billion for humanitarian assistance, and Dh1.4 billion to charity projects between 1971 and 2012, in the form of grants and loans to countries and territories around the world.
Since 1971, the UAE government was the largest donor in the country, giving Dh94.5 billion, followed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), which disbursed Dh23.5 billion, the Red Crescent providing a total of Dh4 billion for humanitarian aid and Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation providing a total of Dh1.3 billion.
These figures are not perfect figures of the UAE’s total foreign aid, as they only include the aid documented by existing UAE donor organisations, and due to lack of proper documentation mechanisms, many of the UAE’s foreign aid records were not documented, MICAD indicated.
MICAD added that another reason why the total donations might be higher is because Shaikh Zayed did not announce many of the donations given in his time.
The UAE’s foreign aid sector has made significant progress in the past four decades according to MICAD, as the established humanitarian, development and charity organisations aimed to meet emerging needs and challenges.
Today there are more than 40 entities, including federal- and emirate-level entities within the UAE Government, foundations, and NGOs, currently engaged in foreign aid activities, supporting humanitarian and development projects around the world.
For instance, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) gives loans and grants towards infrastructure projects being developed and the Emirates Red Crescent provides humanitarian aid.
According to MICAD, in geographical terms, Asia was the biggest recipient of the UAE’s foreign aid with Dh72.5 billion whl a total of Dh42.6 billion was given to Africa.
One of the major organisations in the UAE that is playing a huge role in the UAE’s humanitarian efforts is the International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai.
The IHC is a non-profit, independent free zone authority mandated by the Government of Dubai to facilitate international humanitarian aid and act as a global humanitarian logistics hub.
Shaima Al Zarouni, CEO of the IHC, told Gulf News that the IHC “grows and expands to meet the increasing emergency response needs of the international humanitarian community by providing such a platform as the IHC.”
She added that the UAE is “blessed to initiate and develop the biggest humanitarian logistics hub worldwide, following the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to become the humanitarian capital”.
The total number of emergency response shipments made from the IHC last year was 1,927, and the total value of these shipments was Dh318 million.
As for humanitarian contributions, the IHC has contributed Dh132.5 million since 2007, of which Dh59 million was given in 2012.
Shaima added that the development of the UAE and Dubai in terms of infrastructure, transport facilities and Dubai’s strategic location coupled with the overall relations with the UAE government have all contributed to the growth of IHC as the largest humanitarian logistics hub. The commencement of the UAE in the humanitarian work field as well as the UAE’s heritage of giving back and helping the less fortunate are the inspiration and driving factor behind the establishment of IHC.
IHC hosts a wide range of UN agencies and international humanitarian organisations that run emergency response operations from its premises. The UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), World Food Programme (WFP), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), World Vision, and UAE Red Crescent are a few of those organisations.
The IHC also facilitates the efforts of member organisations in enhancing humanitarian working skills through various aspects such as training and capacity-building seminars and workshops.
