…Offers $137m In Aid
The United Arab Emirates has announced the provision of AED 503 million about $ 137 million during the country’s participation in the fourth Syria donors’ conference.
The Supporting Syria and the Region conference took place today in London, in the presence of heads of state and government, as well as heads and representatives of international humanitarian organisations.
Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Cooperation, President of the UAE’s Committee on Foreign Humanitarian Aid, led the UAE’s delegation to the conference.
Under the guidance of the UAE’s leadership, represented by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the UAE announces its renewed commitment pledging $137 million as humanitarian aid, and in the hope that such assistance will ease the suffering for those who are victims of the Syrian conflict.
Her Excellency said that with the Syrian crisis entering its fifth year, holding such conferences, whose direct results are seen every day, has become an absolute necessity in order to reduce the pain and preserve the human dignity of the Syrian people.
She added that the UAE has responded with the provision of humanitarian support and aid for those displaced inside Syria, as well as refugees in neighbouring countries.
UAE humanitarian aid to affected Syrians since 2012 has exceeded 2.2 billion dirhams, the equivalent of $600 million, which constitutes about 0.15 per cent of the UAE’s gross national income. The value of UAE aid directed to Syrian refugees in the hosting countries and the neighbourhood to Syria amounted to 2 billion dirhams.
Sheikha Lubna expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the ruler, government and people of Kuwait for hosting the three previous donor conferences, and for the pioneering role played by His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait.
She also commanded the organisers of the fourth conference on the Syrian crisis, especially the UK, Kuwaiti, German and Norwegian governments, stressing the importance of united efforts and reinforcing need for strategic cooperation to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people in order provide a better life for them.
Her Excellency discussed the qualitative efforts and initiatives undertaken by the UAE towards the Syrian humanitarian crisis, including the establishment of the Emirati Jordanian Camp (EJC) and the Emirati camp in northern Iraq, which accommodate about 15,000 Syrian refugees.
The UAE has also built the Emirati-Jordanian Field Hospital in Mafraq, which receives 800 patients daily.
Furthermore, the UAE conducted a vaccination campaign against polio inside Syria, established mobile clinics catering to Syrian refugees outside camps, and has focused on improving health care.
Sheikha Lubna noted the UAE’s initiatives aimed at improving education through the construction of four schools and a kindergarten, as well as the implementation of educational projects and training programs for teachers in Jordan, northern Iraq, and Egypt.
HE Lubna Al Qasimi discussed the UAE’s efforts and assistance in training Syrian refugees through vocational training centers to assist them in finding employment when they return to their homeland.
The UAE’s humanitarian assistance also included improving the level of nutrition for children and mothers in Syria in cooperation with a number of international organisations, such as the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, supporting food security for Palestinian refugees in Syria in cooperation with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and signing strategic agreements with UN organisations and agencies.
