Roundabout Dubai

UAE Helping

Few months ago I attended a concert at the Irish Village by the international aid campaigner Sir Bob Geldof. Sir Bob was in Dubai as part of coordinating aid effort to help the growing famine in Africa. Before he came to the concert Geldof was in a press conference in Dubai Aid City where he criticized the level of aid from the Gulf countries and the UAE to Africa. This is up for debate, to say the least. Yet it is also true that this region (and the UAE in particular), is one of the most generous aid contributors, perhaps the highest per capita world wide.

Recently we heard with dismay about the Israeli bombing of the UAE ambulance and truck aid caravan in Lebanon, as it was making its way to Beirut. At least one truck was destroyed and the vehicles had to cut their trip short. What is admirable is the speed with which the aid caravan was put together and delivered; a fact that show considerable seriousness and experience for the UAE in this respect.

The following are links to examples of UAE humanitarian aid given over the last few years. It's not meant to be comprehensive, but rather as random illustration of the size and scope of such effort. It is impressive, commendable, and must be appreciated, but there is always room for improvement.

Recently in Lebanon

Cosovo

Azerbaijan

Palestine

Kenya

Albania

Africa

General Related Links:

DIC

UN Praise

USAID in Dubai

Zayed Gallery

Princess Haya Inteview

Index of Groups

posted by bandicoot @ 9:15 PM