An Abu Dhabi representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has hailed the UAE’s recent pledge of a further $60 million in aid for Syrian refugees, which brings the UAE’s total aid to $360 million.
“UNHCR greatly appreciates the additional $60 million pledge made by the United Arab Emirates to support the Syria humanitarian situation. This adds to the previous pledge of $300 million made by UAE last year in the Kuwait I conference,” said Nisreen Rubaian, UNHCR acting head of office. “This donation will have a positive impact in the lives of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.”
The announcement of further aid was made by HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of presidential affairs during the 2nd International Donors Conference to Support the Syrian People in Kuwait. HH Sheikh Mansour stressed the need for further donations in order to keep up with the increasing numbers of Syrian refugees, which is expected to reach 4.1 million in 2014.
The money raised so far is being used to build hospitals, schools and camps, as well as providing food and initiating further projects.
The start of 2014 saw the distribution of aid via the ‘Our Hearts with the People of Syria’ campaign. Providing some of the first aid in the region, the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) assisted 5,000 refugees at the Qushtapa Refugee Camp in Ebril, Iraq. The campaign, which was initiated by President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in December 2013, has been able to provide essential winter supplies thanks to private donations and fundraising events by local organisations.
Offering support to the Syrian children, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler’s representative in the Western Region and chairman RCA, sponsored the immunisation of 1.6 million children against polio. The AED 2.6 million initiative was run in coordination with UNICEF to vaccinate children under the age of five. UNICEF is furthering the campaign with a goal to protect 20 million children.
Most recently, the UAE has provided the UNHCR with 600 caravans, costing an estimated AED 6.7 million.
“This is an interpretation of the UAE’s stand on humanitarian causes and follows the late Sheikh Zayed’s humanitarian actions taken for refugees in different parts of the world,” added Rubaian. The prefabricated houses will be used to protect 3,900 Syrian refugee families in Jordan’s Al Zaatari camp from the harsh winter climate. UNHCR plans to move all residents from tents into prefabricated houses by the end of February.
A conference will be held in Abu Dhabi on 6th March to discuss the goals of the ‘Syrian Recovery Trust Fund’, a project established by the UAE in partnership with Germany, the US and other donor countries. The fund, which will help rebuild the basic infrastructure in Syria, is already halfway towards meeting its goal of collecting EUR 100 million.
To make a donation to the ‘Our Hearts with the People of Syria’ campaign, visit the UAE Red Crescent website: www.rcuae.ae. Online donations are also accepted through UNHCR on its website: www.unhcr.org
