UAE marks World Humanitarian Day

The UAE will mark World Humanitarian Day on August 19 with major accomplishments that have made it a regional and international leader of humanitarian action.

The country's organised humanitarian efforts are being carried out by dozens of official and non-official entities that have considerable global influence, most notably the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), whose annual operations cover over 100 countries.

The ERC’s programmes over the past five years are valued at around AED3.8 billion, including AED1.67 billion for relief operations, AED1.03 billion for development projects, AED800 million for orphan support programmes, and AED316 million for humanitarian aid programmes.

In 2020, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives provided humanitarian and relief aid worth AED382 million, benefitting 34.8 million people.

Since its formation in 1971 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE has succeeded in significantly boosting the humanitarian action drive, which is highlighted by its leading position among the world's top foreign aid donors.

For the second consecutive year, World Humanitarian Day will be marked amidst extraordinary circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2021, the UAE's foreign aid accounted for 80 per cent of the overall global support for nations affected by the pandemic, with the total medical aid provided by the Emirates amounting to 2,154 tonnes distributed across 135 countries.

The UAE has also dispatched 196 medical flights and established six field hospitals in Sudan, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and Jordan, as well as a mobile clinic in Turkmenistan while sending aid to over 117 countries and donating in-kind aid worth US$10 million.