UAE has always given generously
Helping others has been a fundamental tenet of this nation and is a testament to Zayed
The UAE is a nation blessed with opportunity and plenty, a land that has prospered and blossomed under the wise and deliberate path chosen by its leaders. Indeed, from the very first days of its creation in December 1971, the UAE has always been generous in its outlook, kind in its heart, magnanimous to others, and forever grateful for its many opportunities. And it has always looked too beyond its borders and sought to bring solace where it can — a fundamental tenet of the Founder of the Nation, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
For five years in a row, the UAE has topped the annual list of foreign aid donors charted by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — giving more money relative to its national income than any other country.
And while 2017 was designated as the Year of Giving, the reality is the UAE has always given, and its position at the head of the donor league for the past half-decade reflects its national commitment to help others.
Statistically, 1.31 per cent of the UAE’s gross national income has been donated to others, with Sweden contributing 1.01 per cent, Luxembourg at 1.0 per cent, Norway at 0.99 per cent and Denmark at 0.72 per cent. Statistics, however, are often cold and meaningless unless put into context. All told, the UAE donated Dh19.3 billion in development assistance to others last year.
Statistics too however fail to tell the human side of a balance sheet. Putting it simply, it means there are mothers now who need not fear their children contracting polio or malaria or a host of other diseases that threaten and inflict crippling and debilitating illnesses on young bodies; it means there are countless families now who can enjoy plentiful clear water and work land that will have a reliable harvest because of irrigation methods; there are classrooms now, schools and teachers bringing knowledge and opportunity where there was none; where there are clinics and hospitals, doctors and nurses, helping towns thrive; there are power lines and proper supplies to banish darkness; there are bridges and roads linking people and places.
Above all, it is a testament to our commitment to the founding principles of this nation, as expressed on Monday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai: “This is the nation which was founded by the late Shaikh Zayed.”