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UAE aid: Dh174b and counting

Since its formation in 1971 the UAE has fostered a culture of generosity, extending support to numerous brotherly and friendly nations.

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Since its inception in 1971, the UAE, despite its relatively small size, has gone to enormous lengths to help humanitarian causes abroad, with billions worth of UAE humanitarian aid now stretching across the globe.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in late 2015 - the last year for which comprehensive figures have been released -the UAE's government, NGO and charity institutions had spent Dh174 billion in aid that went to 178 countries around the globe between 1971 and 2014, with assistance ranging from disaster relief efforts and infrastructure projects to polio eradication efforts and help for refugees.
"Since its formation in 1971 the UAE has fostered a culture of generosity, extending support to numerous brotherly and friendly nations and underprivileged people, while also continually striving to improve its foreign assistance in its various forms - development, humanitarian and charity - with the overarching aim of enriching the quality of life of those most in need and most vulnerable, regardless of their race, nationality, language or religion," Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, said in a 2015 message.
While Asia was the largest recipient of UAE aid - with Dh79.4 million of aid provided over the 44 years of the data - significant amounts of aid also reached as far as Africa and the Americas and the figure continues to grow each year. Just last week, a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted that the UAE is the world's biggest donor relative to national income, with the country's 2016 total of Dh15.23 in official development assistance representing 1.12 per cent of Gross National Income (DNI). Of the total aid, Dh8.95 billion went to Africa, while the value of humanitarian aid grew 0.87 per cent to Dh1.89 in response to the region's worsening humanitarian situation, particularly in Yemen and Syria.
"The announcement came as we live the Year of Giving, it came out as our people plan new humanitarian initiatives every day," His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Twitter. "The UAE does not provide condition aid and does not wait for any returns. We only want the good and stability of all people."
A history of giving
The UAE's humanitarian spirit was formed early on by the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who went to enormous lengths during his 33-year rule to ensure that the UAE was among the world's top countries in humanitarian works.
"There is hardly a country in the world that had not benefited from the deeds of the late Sheikh Zayed," Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood said on the occasion of Zayed Humanitarian Day in June 2016.
Recent Efforts
Hardly a day goes by without news of UAE humanitarian projects abroad, both through the government and UAE-based NGO's and humanitarian organisations.
Just this week, for example, the Dar Al Ber Society (Dabs) announced a Dh2.8 million emergency relief campaign for Somalia, which has been suffering from a massive famine.
"The campaign.is also in view of the UAE's civilised mission towards the entire world, and is a big boost to the deeply rooted-culture of giving and voluntary work inherited by the Emirati people generation after generation," said Khalfan Khalifa Al Mazrouie, chairman of Dabs.
Among the greatest recipients of UAE aid in recent years has been war-torn Yemen, which has received a total of Dh7.3 billion in humanitarian assistance between April 2015 and March 2017 alone. The figure puts the UAE at the forefront of relief efforts in the country, and represents 26.9 per cent of total assistance to Yemen given during this period.
Additionally, in February the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) announced that a large number of Yemenis wounded in the fighting will be treated at hospitals in the UAE.
"Compassion and generosity are not alien to the UAE's leadership, who follows the path of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan," said Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the ERC.
Rate of donation relative to GNI
> 2013 - 1.34% (first in world)
> 2014 - 1.26% (first in world)
> 2015 - 1.18% (second in world)
> 2016 - 1.12% (first in world)
Help for millions of Syrians
Faced with the greatest humanitarian disaster in recent memory, the UAE is doing all it can to help alleviate the suffering of millions of Syrians who have been displaced by the country's long-running civil war, now in its sixth year. By the end of 2016, the total UAE aid to Syria stood at over $832 million.
In its most recent move earlier in April, the UAE earmarked Dh250million to support the people of Syria, with an emphasis on helping educate Syrian refugees and prepare them for future employment.
"The difficult humanitarian conditions of the brotherly people for the (UAE) which was one of the first countries to undertake the responsibility of easing the suffering of the Syrian people," Minister of State Dr Maytha bint Salem Al Shamsi said at the recent Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. "It is doing this through providing relief and humanitarian aid and exerting political and diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the conflict to an end."
The UAE, she added, is also "shining a light on the dangerous humanitarian situation in the country to add momentum at the international level to save lives and help restore security and stability."
Additionally, the UAE has pledged to host 15,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, and has set up refugee camps in Iraq, Jordan and Greece. Over 100,000 Syrians have been welcomed to the country since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.
Among the most visible aspects of the UAE's aid to Syria is the UAE-funded Mrajeeb Al Fhood camp, northeast of the Jordanian capital of Amman. The camp, which was opened in 2013, was built to completely cover 13,000 refugees, with a future capacity of 25,000.
"The UAE humanitarian message is to improve the living conditions of refugees and those forcibly displayed from their homelands by wars, regardless of their nationalities and religion," Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, then the UAE's Minister of Development and International Cooperation, said at the camp's opening.
The UAE's assistance to Syrians has also reached Lebanon, where in early 2017 the UAE launched a campaign to help displaced people survive through the harsh winter.
The campaign, which helped over 150,000 people across 35 distribution centers across Lebanon, was funded by a number of UAE donors such as the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and the Mohammed bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian Establishment.
"The campaign is in tune with the UAE's policy of extending a helping hand wherever help is needed," Mohammed Al Mehrezi, administrative office at the Humanitarian and Development Attache Office of the UAE Embassy said. "What is important to us is that aid should reach the most underprivileged displaced Syrians in Lebanon."
Another facility, the Emirati-Jordanian Field Hospital currently provides medical services to over 1,000 people daily.

Development assistance offered since the inception of UAE

Between 1971 and 2014
> Dh129 billion from government institutions
> Dh30.5 billion from Abu Dhabi Development Fund
> Dh5.7 billion from Emirates Red Crescent
> Dh2.9 billion from Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation
Region-wise allocation from 1971 to 2014
> Asia - Dh79.43 billion
> Africa -  Dh75.43 billion
> Europe -  Dh9.75 billion
> Americas -  Dh2.90 billion
> Oceania -  Dh0.21 billion
> Global -  Dh4.88 billion
How the Syrians benefited
> The UAE has given residency permits to over 100,000 Syrians since the crisis began
> Over $832 million in aid has been provided to victims of war
> The UAE is financing the Mrajeeb Al Fhood camp in Jordan, which houses refugees.

Quick facts

Report on UAE aid
According to a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UAE is the world's biggest donor relative to national income, with the country's 2016 total of Dh15.23 representing 1.12 per cent of Gross National Income (DNI). Of the total aid, Dh8.95 billion went to Africa, while the aid touched Dh1.89 in the region, particularly in Yemen and Syria.
100,000 Syrians here
Over 100,000 Syrians have been welcomed to the country since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Additionally, the UAE has pledged to host 15,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years. The UAE's assistance to Syrians has also reached Lebanon, where in early 2017 the UAE launched a campaign to help displaced people survive through the harsh winter.
List of charity schools
Charity schools have been operating around the UAE for more than three decades. The schools are the National Charity School in Ajman, the National Charity School in Sharjah, the National Charity School in Dubai, the Al Ahlia Charity School for Girls in Ajman, the Al Ahlia Private School in Sharjah and the Manar Al Iman Charity School in Ajman.
Law for charity work
It is illegal in the UAE to carry out charitable activities unless permission was granted ahead by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Department (IACAD) in Dubai.
If UAE residents want to take part in any kind of charitable activities, whether that's fundraising, donating, promoting a charity by any means or channel, they need to obtain a licence from the IACAD beforehand.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com