The UAE Government and its people have never shirked from their responsibilities towards their Arab brothers in Yemen. The UAE is a proud member of the international coalition that is led by Saudi Arabia and has a United Nations Security Council mandate to restore the legitimate government and administration of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi from illegal and rebellious factions that have seized control of parts of the country.
The military phase of this campaign is largely complete and were it not for the continued intransigence of Iranian-backed Al Houthi rebels and their unwillingness to recognise the rule of law, and turn over their heavy weaponry, peace would have been restored to the people of Yemen long before.
Right now, because of the lawless elements and their activities, the people of Yemen are suffering, and their position remains tenuous. What is needed is to rebuild a united, peaceful and lawful government and administration — one that has the support of the full international community at large and not just the short-term political and sectarian motives of Tehran. That task of rebuilding Yemen is huge. It means constructing new bridges and roads, bringing stable, clean water supplies, building an electricity grid that can deliver power to the schools and hospitals and building those schools and hospitals so that every Yemeni can enjoyed a quality of life that their Arab brothers and sisters are entitled to.
Last week, the UAE teamed up with the World Health Organisation to restore 20 hospitals across Yemen. These hospitals will provide health care and medical facilities to more than 2.3 million Yemenis, giving them access to doctors and nurses, surgical procedures and treatments, access to pharmaceuticals and the ability to be proactive in dealing with health issues as they arise.
The Dh44.1 million initiative will cover 11 governorates. It will, for example, allow for the provision of basic preventative injections to more than 700,000 women and their children.
These humanitarian campaigns are a key part of UAE foreign policy under the directives of the UAE leadership, represented by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and are based on the approach of the founding father, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
