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29 March 2024

Mohammed at launch of foreign aid report

Published
By Wam

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday attended the launch of UAE Official Foreign Aid Report for 2013, which amounted to more than Dh21.5 billion.

The launching ceremony, which was held at the Emirates Palace, was attended by  Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance,  Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region,  Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior,  Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister,  Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Lt. General Misbah bin Rashid AI Fattan, Director of the Office of the Vice-President, Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director- General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai, Mohammed Juma Al Naboodah, along with a number of sheikhs, ministers, and senior officials and donor organisation's representatives from the public and private sectors in the country.

Sheikh Mohammed underlined that the UAE has been ranked first globally as the largest donor of humanitarian aid in 2013 in proportion to its gross national income, adding that its assistance touched over Dh21.6 billion in 2013, exceeding the highest percentage registered by any country in 50 years.
 
While attending at Emirates Palace the launch ceremony of the UAE Annual Foreign Aid Report for 2013, released by the Ministry of Development and International Cooperation (MICAD),  Sheikh Mohammed said, "The reason the UAE is leading the world in terms of giving, emanates from the legacy chalked out by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and which is being sustained by the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his brothers, the UAE Rulers."
 
He added that the UAE has more than 38 humanitarian organisations that deliver donations across the world.
 
During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed honoured 38 humanitarian donor organisations, saying, "The UAE does not offer conditional assistance or wait for any interest in return. It only looks for stability and welfare of all peoples."
 
The Vice President expressed his satisfaction with the report, reiterating that the documented humanitarian assistance's volume "reflects the forefathers' humanitarian values outlined by the founding fathers of the Union in accordance with the teachings of Islam, and in compliance with our national and humanitarian principles."
 
According to the report launched by Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE's total Foreign Aid for 2013 stood at Dh21.63 billion, equivalent to $5.89 billion.
 
Regarding the types of assistance, the development foreign aid for 2013 touched Dh20.46 billion, constituting 96.6 per cent of the total aid, compared with Dh5.07 billion in 2012. Meanwhile, the charity accounted for Dh640 million, or about 2.95 per cent of the total foreign aid. The humanitarian assistance stood at Dh530 million or about 2.45 per cent of the total foreign aid in 2013, compared to Dh400 million in 2012.
 
In keeping with the UAE's philosophy in providing foreign aid, which contributes to strengthening and upgrading the development capacity of the beneficiary countries, about  63.64 per cent aid worth Dh13.77 billion of the total aid given by the UAE was issued as grants to the recipient countries. Meanwhile, the assistance in the form of loan accounted for 36.36 per cent.
 
At the level of official development assistance documented by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2013, about 61.3 per cent of the total aid was in the form of grants worth Dh12.4 billion, while 38.78 per cent accounted for loans.
 
With regard to the geographical distribution of the UAE aid in 2013, about Dh21.63 billion, the lion's share of the assistance worth Dh18.1 billion, went to the African countries, compared with Dh958 million  in 2011, while the recipients of the UAE aid in Asia received Dh2.7billion. Europe, the Americas, Oceania and other countries received Dh811million.
 
Regarding the UAE donors of aid for the year 2013, the governmental assistance was ranked at the top and accounted for 82.6 per cent of the total paid assistance worth Dh17.9 billion, equivalent to $4.8 billion. The assistance from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development ranked second with a value of Dh1.7 billion, equivalent to $458 million.
 
The Dh777 million equivalent to the $211.5 million aid provided by the Khalifa Bin Zayed Foundation came in the third place, constituting 3.59 per cent of the total aid, while the Emirates Red Crescent Authority was ranked fourth with Dh566.5 million equivalent to $154.22 million, accounting for 2.62 per cent of the total aid.