PicturesVideos
ABU DHABI, 22nd January, 2016 (WAM) – By pledging generous donations to the United Nations (UN) and its specialised agencies, the UAE is creating an exceptional model for serving the international organisation's humanitarian goals and promoting diplomatic work in these agencies.
This fact was underpinned on Thursday by Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, when he along with Ambassador Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, visited the UN European Headquarters in Geneva to inspect the UAE-funded ongoing renovation work of Conference Hall 17. The project required a unique approach blending together important aspects of exclusive design within a highly functional room. It will also provide artwork representing the culture, art and architecture of the United Arab Emirates.
While commending the UAE's generous donations and contributions to the UN, Ki-moon urged other member states to follow the UAE's example, saying its substantial support for the UN and other international humanitarian organisations was a bright example to be emulated by others. "This is an example and role model for all countries," he said Expressing his satisfaction at the progress of renovation work accomplished so far at the meeting room, the UN chief said the opening of the conference hall would be a grand and high-profile ceremony in Geneva in appreciation of the UAE's support to the UN and to present this achievement as a model of constructive collaboration between the UN and its member states regarding the maintenance of the United Nations building in Geneva.
The implementation of the project, he added, was unique in terms of the delivery speed and co-ordination between the UAE and, both, the United Nations and the contracting companies.
The UN Secretary-General told Emirates News Agency (WAM), in an exclusive interview, "I am so grateful to the UAE and its people for their continued support and co-operation with the United Nations in all fields, whether in support of peace, security and humanitarian assistance worldwide." He cited the UAE's fundamental role in the refurbishment of the hall number 17 of the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva.
He said, he had taken part at two international conferences in the UAE. One was the launch of the UN High-Level Panel report on Humanitarian Financing Report in Dubai, and the other the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, adding, "These conferences were part of many contributions shouldered by the UAE to advance progress in these fields."
The UN chief emphasised that the renovation of the United Nations' hall blends beauty of the desert and the blue sky, which represent the UAE. "We aspire for these themes in our agenda of sustainable development."
Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that the renovation project would be completed as soon as possible to provide a good environment for delegates to share views on peace, security and development in the world.
The UN Secretary-General and the UAE envoy were briefed during a special exhibition especially staged on the occasion about the work progress and phases of the renovation project. Michael Mueller, Director-General of the Office of the United Nations was present.
They also viewed computer graphics and construction designs of the hall, which is one of the largest and most important halls at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Ambassador Al Zaabi expressed the UAE's pride in supporting the United Nations' activities to help the international organisation discharge its activities effectively. He stressed the UAE's commitment to accomplishing this project with full respect to the deadline, thanks to the approach and dedication of the UAE's wise leadership to excellence and meeting international obligations.
The visit reflects the keenness of the UN to demonstrate this project as a typical experiment in terms of accuracy, speed of delivery and good co-ordination among all parties involved in the project. The tour also aims to encourage other countries to share the same methodology in the maintenance of the United Nations building project, which the United Nations plans to commence in the coming years.
The UAE is providing developmental, humanitarian, health and educational assistance, and supporting efforts and missions of UN organisations in delivering assistance to desperately needed regions across the world as part of its quest to consolidate its place on the international humanitarian assistance landscape.
The UAE has pledged US$8.324 million in donations to a number of UN development funds and programmes for 2016.
The announcement, made in a statement during the United Nations Pledging Conference, which was held in November 2015 in New York, reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to supporting the organisation's development activities.
Of the amount donated by the UAE for 2016, a total of $5 million will go to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, with $500,000 dollars of this amount dedicated to counter violence within the context of the Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security, and $1.8 million to the core budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
A further $520,000 will be given to the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), of which $500,000 will go towards the Trust Fund for Disaster Relief Assistance. The United Nations Development Programme will receive $324,000, of which $200,00 will go to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Another $100,000 was pledged towards the core budget of the United Nations Children’s Fund, $50,000 to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, $40,000 towards the United Nations Environment Programme, and $40,000 to the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation.
In addition, the UAE pledged $30,000 towards the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, $30,000 towards the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund, and $10,000 towards the Fund of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme.
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery will receive $30,000, and the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation will get $20,000. Another $10,000 was allocated towards the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, UNITAR, and $10,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The UAE also pledged $10,000 towards the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, $10,000 to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, $10,000 to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for the Convention to Combat Desertification, $10,000 to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, and $100,000 to the Cooperative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore towards its Aid to Navigation Fund, (ANF).
The UAE also donated AED18 million to health assistance in the Azraq and Zaatari camps for Syrian refugees in Jordan.
Of that total, AED7.3 million was allocated to the UNHCR’s water, sanitation and health initiatives.
The UAE Ministry of International Cooperation and Development said the aid amounted to more than 30 per cent of the two camps’ total health needs.
The UNHCR has provided healthcare services to 98,710 Syrian refugees in the two camps, 78 percent of them are women and children.
The UAE is also home to the International Humanitarian City in Dubai (IHC), a leading global humanitarian logistics hub that connects East and West, empowering its members to create lasting change in the lives of people in need and help them move assistance to the needy more quickly and economically.
As a logistics centre for the distribution of humanitarian aid, the IHC now hosts major United Nations agencies and many world's leading NGOs and commercial entities all engaged in delivering aid both in crises and to support long-term economic development.
The IHC is a non-profit, independent free zone authority to facilitate international humanitarian aid by supplying leading humanitarian actors with world-class logistics infrastructure, value-added services and administrative support, providing a platform for the UN, NGOs and regional staff to strengthen aid responses and facilitating co-ordination and collaboration among all aid providers.
The UAE, under the able leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has become a global humanitarian leader and one of the world's most generous supporters of international humanitarian and developmental causes. The UAE also continues to establish itself as a global humanitarian capital.
The Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) Report 2015, issued by the London-based Development Initiatives (DI) – an independent organisation committed to ending poverty by 2030, says Gulf donors rose in prominence with the UAE becoming the largest government donor.
The UAE has become the first Gulf nation to establish a Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD) to work with UAE donor organisations to boost the UAE’s position as a major international donor and a key player in development and international co-operation. MICAD will propose the policies and priority areas for UAE’s foreign assistance, amounts and types of development work, and humanitarian assistance.
In addition, MICAD will work to raise awareness of the UAE’s role as a major international donor, enhance the country’s relations with other international donors, co-operate with international organisations, document the UAE government and non-governmental foreign aid, evaluate the impact of foreign aid programs, co-ordinate relief efforts and foreign aid with local and international entities, co-ordinate training processes and plans, and represent the UAE in regional and international development and humanitarian bodies.
The UAE also attaches paramount importance to international refugee issues, a cause that prompted the UAE to bolster its partnerships with international organisations handling humanitarian work and responding to those affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
From 2010 to 2014, the UAE offered around AED 60 billion (US$ 16 bn) in aid to more than 140 countries.
In 2014, the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development offered US$7 million in funding to support UNICEF’s response to ensure nutritional food supplies for children in Syria.
UNICEF has been providing children with supplementary foods to deal with moderate malnutrition, and with therapeutic feeding for treatment of severe or acute malnutrition. The funding from the UAE enabled UNICEF and partners to screen children for malnutrition, distribute preventive and therapeutic nutrition commodities, and educate caregivers on feeding and nutrition.
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the UAE has emerged as the top nation among donor countries contributing to the Official Development Assistance in 2014, having the highest ODA to Gross National Income ratio.
According to the DAC's data, the UAE ranked first globally as the largest international donor of official development assistance for the second year in a row, with a total of AED 18.36 billion of developmental aid in 2014, accounting for 1.26 per cent of gross national income.
The Ministry of International Cooperation and Development said the country occupying this position for the second year in a row reaffirms the UAE's commitment to its humanitarian mission, and the principles on which it was established. It also enhances its position as a humanitarian hub and a source of relief and aid to all friendly nations in the world.
WAM/tfaham
The post By substantially supporting UN, UAE creates an unparalleled
model for serving humanitarian and development goals – report appeared first on UAE Business Directory - TotalUAE.com.