UAE aid plays key role in regional stability

The United Arab Emirates has always sought to promote regional peace, security, stability and development and it continues to provide assistance to different nations.

The UAE is one of the key countries contributing to international efforts in providing assistance to the people of Yemen. During the past four months, the UAE has provided humanitarian aid totalling Dh744 million (US$202 million) and has become the world's largest aid donor to Yemen in 2015, providing almost half of the aid pledged by other countries of the world.

The aid provided by the UAE to Yemen includes food material to 181,000 Yemeni families or approximately 1.1 million people. The total food relief given to Yemen is estimated at 29,000 tonnes, including 1.4 million food baskets and Dh181 million worth of emergency relief, consisting of grains, edible oils, canned food and other foodstuff.

The UAE assistance also covers power supply, healthcare, water, and sewage services, in addition to fuel and other relief materials. The aid is provided under the wise leadership's directives.

The UAE's humanitarian organisations engaged in providing assistance to the people of Yemen include the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, the Khalifa bin Zayed Foundation, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Foundation, in addition to the UAE Water Aid (Suqia), the Al Rahma Charitable Foundation and the Sharjah Charity House.

Last week, on the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, a ship loaded with relief material, including 4,000 tonnes of food and rations, reached Aden port as part of the UAE's humanitarian efforts to help alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people.

The aid is delivered by various UAE humanitarian and charitable organisations through sea and by means of an air-bridge. By land, the UAE sent 57 truck-loads of aid to Yemen in June, carrying 1,368 tonnes of food, in collaboration with the King Salman Centre for Humanitarian Relief.