HUMANITARIAN AID
The UAE has translated development and humanitarian aid into a foreign policy instrument. The philosophy behind this is two-fold: first, it is dictated by an Islamic belief that helping those in need is a primary duty; and second, that part of the country’s wealth from oil and gas should be devoted to assisting less fortunate countries and individuals. Overall, the UAE’s foreign aid during the last four decades is estimated to exceed Dh163 billion (US$38 billion).
A World Bank report in September 2010 recognised the UAE as one of the world’s most generous contributors to foreign aid. Tracking overseas aid between 1973 and 2008, the Arab Development Assistance – Four Decades of Cooperation identified the UAE as part of a three-country bloc that accounted for 90 per cent of the total contribution of Dh993 billion.
According to a December 2010 report by Global Humanitarian Assistance, a group that monitors the distribution of charitable aid from governments, the UAE is the first non-western nation to be included in the global Top 10 humanitarian aid donors per head of population.
Unremitting assistance
In spite of the impact of economic slowdown in the region, the UAE continued its humanitarian, relief and development assistance programmes around the globe. This was conducted either directly by the Government and its affiliated organisations or through donor groups. In addition, the UAE continued its contributions to the programmes of regional agencies and international organisations aimed at alleviating the suffering of several countries arising from high food prices, poverty, illiteracy, natural calamities and diseases.
Aid report
The Government established a new body in 2009 to coordinate all the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the UAE. Called the Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA) and set up in collaboration with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, it is chaired by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia (Western) Region. The OCFA’s aim is to make the UAE more involved at the multilateral level rather than focussing on traditional bilateral support.
According to the first OCFA annual report released in June 2010, the Government and non-government bodies distributed Dh9 billion in 2009 among 92 countries. This equalled 1 per cent of the country’s gross national income, thereby exceeding the UN target of 0.7 per cent. Ninety-five per cent of the 1500 contributions were unconditional grants to humanitarian, development and charity projects.
Asia received Dh7.77 billion, or 87 per cent of the total, while Africa benefitted from Dh911.1 million, or 10 per cent. The rest was divided among Europe, the Americas, Oceania and multilateral organisations. The biggest recipient was Yemen, where renewed conflict led to a dramatic increase in humanitarian needs, prompting a total assistance of Dh2.84 billion. Other major recipients included Pakistan (Dh1.6 billion), Afghanistan (Dh1.26 billion) and the Palestinian Territories (Dh965.1 million).
While the Government’s share was Dh3.06 billion, some of the non-governmental organisations that disbursed aid were the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), Al Maktoum Foundation, UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA), Zayed Foundation for Charitable and Humanitarian Aid, Dubai Cares, Dubai Charity Association, International Humanitarian City, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, Noor Dubai, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Fund for Refugee Women, Sharjah Charity Association and Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.
Donors contributed over Dh700 million towards securing essential food supplies to the victims of emergencies. About Dh830 million was committed for health programmes and the education sector received about Dh340 million. Dubai Cares, for example, focussed almost exclusively on promoting primary education in developing countries, thus making a major contribution towards one of the Millennium Development Goals to ‘achieve universal primary education’.
ADFD
ADFD, which was established in 1971 to extend assistance to Arab, Islamic, and friendly developing countries, is one of the leading development grant agencies. The main activity of the Fund is to provide economic assistance in the form of loans on concessionary terms, grants or contributions to project capital. The Fund particularly strives to help achieve sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty by providing financial aid, forging partnerships in the public and private sectors, and adopting international best practices to ensure aid effectiveness.
During 2009, ADFD was the largest donor, contributing Dh4.95 billion in grants and loans, or more than half the country’s total foreign aid.
RCA
Established in 1985, the RCA – under the stewardship of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan – continues to give impetus to the UAE’s humanitarian efforts. It is the largest donor among national societies that make up the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, having supported projects and relief programmes worth Dh3 billion since its establishment. In 2009, the RCA distributed a total of Dh451.5 million, making it the third most significant UAE donor of humanitarian aid in financial terms.
At least 55 countries received funding from the RCA, with the largest contributions going to social infrastructure, services and multi-sector programmes. Some of its most effective activities include providing drinking water in the countries hit by drought and desertification, as well as equipping hospitals in remote areas of underprivileged countries and distributing relief material for flood victims. These efforts have given the RCA the distinction of being one of the top ten member organisations of the International Committee of the Red Cross in terms of the amount of relief assistance provided.
Other efforts
• Following the floods in Pakistan in 2010, the UAE leaders and people contributed at least Dh220 million in financial and in-kind assistance. This included Dh54 million that was raised during a three-day telethon campaign. The RCA also implemented a campaign to vaccinate 755,000 Pakistani children against measles in Sindh, Pakistan.
• The UAE has launched the National Emergency Response Programme (Sanid), a social voluntary initiative by the Emirates Foundation, in partnership with RCA. The team of trained civilians undertook its first mission to flood-hit Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa in Pakistan.
• RCA launched the ‘Giving Initiative’ for the treatment of a million underprivileged children across the world. The campaign will focus on four basic programmes: treatment, surgery, training and preventive programmes.
• Noor Dubai Foundation was established to provide treatment for people with eye diseases, including blindness.
• The UAE continues to translate its political and moral solidarity with the Palestinian people into continuous financial and economic support. So far, the UAE has provided over Dh11 billion aid to the Palestinians. Acknowledging the UAE’s unstinting support, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in August 2010 that the UAE has surpassed its pledge made during the 2007 donors’ conference in Paris: ‘The UAE’s total aid to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has reached Dh1.13 billion, which is bigger than the Dh1 billion it pledged.’
• Among others, significant humanitarian assistance was extended to Somalia, Sudan, Kosovo, Indonesia, Morocco, Eritrea, Egypt, India, Mauritania, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Comoros Islands, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Maldives
• Interactive map: UAE foreign aid distribution in 2009
• For more detailed information about the UAE’s humanitarian aid, click here
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