UAE will continue to deliver its humanitarian message: Hamdan bin Zayed

ABU DHABI, 10th April, 2018 (WAM) -- The United Arab Emirates has become a reliable hub for humanitarian aid and a launching pad for major global initiatives that create a difference in human development, stated H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC. ''The UAE will continue to deliver its humanitarian message and shoulder its responsibility to preserve the dignity of the underprivileged and alleviate their suffering,'' H.H. Sheikh Hamdan said in a comment after UAE has been named as the world's largest donor regarding in ODA/GNI ratio for the fifth year running according to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED). The UAE exceeded the United Nations’ target of 0.7 percent official development assistance in proportion to its GNI ratio by donating AED19.32 billion, a growth of 18.1 percent over 2016, representing 1.31 percent of its GNI for official development assistance in 2017. ''The UAE, thanks to the wise policy of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has charted an exceptional approach in humanitarian and charitable work and has made paradigm shifts in improving mechanisms for relief assistance delivery and empowering marginalised communities to launch sustainable development projects instead of just receiving urgent assistance at times of crises,'' he further added. ''The late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, harnessed the UAE's resources and potential to support and help vulnerable and needy people and protect them from risks of poverty, disease and ignorance, making the country a leader in humanitarian and charitable work,'' he said.