UAE reaffirms commitment to humanitarian initiatives

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has stressed that the UAE, led by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will continue to make efforts to forge effective regional and international partnerships to surmount various humanitarian challenges facing the global community.

In a statement on the occasion of World Polio Day, Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE was particularly committed to the cause of eradicating polio and had always sought to advance cooperation with international organisations to combat a disease that threatens the very future of generations. “Through its humanitarian relief teams, the UAE has been able to reach the world’s most difficult areas plagued with wars and conflicts to deliver anti-polio vaccination doses for children, put a smile on their faces and nurture their hope for the future that is free from fears of disability.”

Shaikh Mohammad explained that helping the poor and underprivileged sections to achieve progress, without any discrimination, is an approach embraced by the UAE as part of its commitment to advance humanitarian programmes from the time of the founding father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Thanks to this approach, the UAE is now at the forefront of nations supporting humanitarian initiatives and providing aid across the world, Shaikh Mohammad added. “What the humanitarian community needs more than ever is solidarity and joint efforts to counter diseases and epidemics and find solutions to all challenges that deprive needy people of access to health care.

“This is a humanitarian mission to which the whole world should rise. All of us are responsible for women and children, and protecting them from diseases that threaten their wellbeing and future is a goal that the international community should address in addition to guaranteeing their safety, especially in countries suffering today from conflicts and a variety of crises. This is the real challenge that we must face because ensuring health care for present and future generations guarantees a bright future for the whole world,” Shaikh Mohammad said.

He concluded by thanking Emirati relief teams and international relief workers for serving humanity, upholding a sense of responsibility and risking their lives to provide assistance to underprivileged children everywhere.