UAE: Fancy car plates, rare mobile phone numbers raise Dh111 million in charity auctions

Supporting the 1 Billion Meals initiative on Zayed Humanitarian Day, Abu Dhabi Police gathered Dh111 million at the second in-person Most Noble Numbers charity auction for special vehicle plate numbers and mobile numbers and the two-day 555 online charity auction.

The proceeds from the charity auction series will go towards the 1 Billion Meals initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The initiative is the largest in the region to provide food support to the underprivileged and undernourished in 50 countries.

The auctions support the humanitarian goals of the 1 Billion Meals initiative, which is seeking to send one billion messages of hope and solidarity from the UAE to those in need around the world – especially at a time when food prices are rising globally and hunger threatens more than 800 million people.

A journey of more than 50 years in charitable work

Major General Khalifa Mohammed Al Khaili, Director of Finance and Services sector at Abu Dhabi Police, confirmed that under the directives of the country's leadership, the UAE continues its journey of more than fifty years in charitable and humanitarian work that has impacted various parts of the world.

Coinciding with Zayed Humanitarian Day, the Most Noble Numbers charity auction in Abu Dhabi took place to support the efforts of the 1 Billion Meals initiative, where five special vehicle plate numbers were put for bidding.

The entire proceeds of the auction will go to support the humanitarian goals of the initiative by providing a food safety net that extends from the UAE to those in need in 50 countries across the globe, and address the challenge of hunger that threatens the lives of 800 million people around the world.”

Record breaking numbers in-person

During the in-person Most Noble Numbers charity auction that took place at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the single-digit vehicle plate number 2 with code 2, was sold for Dh23.3 million, while the remaining three double-digit vehicle plate numbers – 11 with code 2, 20 with code 2, and 99 with code 1 – collected Dh5 million, Dh4.25 million, and Dh5 million, respectively. In addition, the three-digit vehicle plate number 999 with code 2 sold for Dh1.7 million.

Furthermore, Etisalat’s Diamond mobile numbers collectively sold for a total of Dh419,000. Specifically, 547444444 sold for Dh160,000, 542244444 for Dh55,000, 542422222 for Dh52,000, 547799999 for Dh52,000, and 567777722 for Dh100,000.

In addition, the special mobile numbers put up by du were sold for a total of Dh601 ,000 – 589999996 for Dh120,000, 586666662 for Dh91,000, 581111114 for Dh130,000, 582444444 for Dh110,000, and 586222222 for Dh150,000.

Most valuable numbers online

The 555 online charity auction took place on April 17 and 18, and sold the two-digit special vehicle plate number 88 with code 1 for Dh3.9 million, making it the most valuable among the 555 special vehicle plate numbers bid on throughout the two days.

The 1 Billion Meals initiative, organized by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), provides food support in coordination with the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UAE Food Bank, as well as a number of local charity and humanitarian organizations in beneficiary countries. In its efforts to provide food aid to those in need, the initiative contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals, especially to achieve ‘zero hunger’ by 2030