Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development, MICAD, and Head of the UAE Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Foreign Aid, has said that the amount of humanitarian aid that the UAE provided in the past five years (2009-2014) reached almost AED4.9 billion.

Speaking on the advent of World Humanitarian Day, Sheikha Lubna said that the UAE, under the guidance of its wise leadership represented by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, which is based on the philosophy of the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, carries an honourable message to the world that, "Implementing humanitarian values cannot be achieved without the support of a nation's leadership."

She said that the UAE has come to deliver an honorable message to the whole world; a message that the advancement of humanitarian work is an end that cannot be achieved in the absence of a leadership that supports the philosophy and cause of humanitarian action within a philanthropist vision that can overcome the challenges facing humanity at large.

"The scenarios of such challenges are getting more dangerous with the spread of famine and diseases and the increasing alarming indicators of the dislocation and immigration of millions of people outside their homes and countries due to conflicts and natural and environmental catastrophes," Sheikha Lubna explained and added, "When we talk about humanity, we should remember those individuals who have given their time and efforts, sometimes even their lives, when they hurried as volunteers to help and provide the necessities of life to those who were badly hit by various crises.

"Some of those have sacrificed their lives in conflict areas or due to natural disasters as they uphold their humanitarian message for the whole humanity to recognize the significance of international humanitarian and relief action."

Sheikh Lubna stressed that with the UAE’s great achievement of topping the world list as the world’s biggest development and humanitarian donor for 2013 and 2014 compared to its national income, there is also another honorable achievement reflected in the wonderful work and efforts put by UAE nationals to deliver aid and relief to crisis victims in several parts of the world, despite all difficulties and risks that threaten their lives. "No words are enough to thank them and their fellow workers across the world," she said.

UAE governmental humanitarian aid to face humanitarian crisis across the world has reached AED 2.82 billion between 2009 and 2014 according to an ICAD report, coming first as a donor. The second position was for the UAE Red Crescent Authority, with AED 683 million of foreign aid. The country’s third donor was Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation with an AED 590 million of foreign aid.

As for the receiving countries, Jordan being the largest host of the Syrian refugees, got AED 1,482 billion of aid from the UAE, followed by Pakistan which received AED 676 million, Libya received AED 406 million and Palestine received AED 365 million.
Source: WAM