BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)

The UAE has adopted a steady approach in its foreign policy based on partnership, cooperation, and humanitarian solidarity, recognising that stability, peace, and development are the fruits of collective work and shared responsibility, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the UAE International Press Conference at the UAE Government Annual Meetings, Al Hashimy  highlighted the UAE’s unwavering humanitarian efforts across conflict zones and disaster-struck regions — from Gaza to Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.

“Since its founding and first steps towards adopting a global humanitarian approach, the UAE has never wavered in extending help to those in need. The UAE has offered over Dh370 billion in foreign aid benefiting more than a billion people worldwide.”

This humanitarian approach is particularly evident in Gaza, where the UAE launched Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the minister said.

Since the onset of the crisis, Dh9.4 billion in humanitarian aid had been delivered, over 100,000 tonnes of supplies dispatched, 2 million gallons of water sent to affected communities, and nearly 3,000 Palestinian patients and companions were medically evacuated to the UAE for treatment, she said.

These efforts go beyond statistics as Al Hashimy highlighted emotional stories of children, the elderly, and women whose lives were saved through UAE’s humanitarian response.

“A four-year-old girl arrived paralysed by fear and exhaustion,” she said. “In just a few weeks, she was laughing again, learning, and enjoying the breeze of childhood. That was not just treatment; it was the beginning of a new dawn.”

For Sudan, the UAE has allocated nearly Dh3 billion in humanitarian assistance over the past two years, the minister said.

The country also pledged continued support in partnership with the United Nations and neighbouring host countries welcoming Sudanese refugees.

“This is not a political stance, but a continuation of historical ties, brotherhood, and a shared destiny,” Al Hashimy said.

She noted that the UAE has also offered Dh2.61 billion to support stability and reconstruction efforts in Yemen, and effectively mediated in Ukraine, resulting in the exchange of over 4,600 captives since the war started.

Al Hashimy pointed out that the UAE’s humanitarian efforts included establishing 10 motherhood clinics across Afghanistan, and providing 700 million units of polio vaccines in Pakistan.