Today's Edition
SADEQ ALKHOORI (ABU DHABI)
Wherever crises affect lives and livelihoods, the UAE extends a helping hand. Guided by the compassion and legacy of its Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country consistently supports vulnerable communities worldwide, earning a reputation as one of the largest humanitarian donors.
In 2025, the UAE ranked third globally in humanitarian aid contributions, according to the Financial Tracking Service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The country has provided $1.46 billion in assistance, accounting for 7.2% of total humanitarian funding recorded by the UN, placing it behind only the United States and the European Union among global donors.
The UAE also earned international praise when, in December 2025, it pledged $550 million to support the UN's Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO). The GHO aims to raise $33 billion in 2026 to assist roughly 135 million people across 23 humanitarian operations worldwide, including programmes for refugees and migrants.
The figures reflect a broader national journey in which humanitarian outreach has become a central pillar of the UAE's global engagement, delivering healthcare, food assistance and relief supplies to millions of people affected by crises and natural disasters.
Across several regions facing humanitarian challenges, UAE initiatives have delivered essential relief to vulnerable communities.
In Gaza, medical facilities established through UAE humanitarian operations have treated more than 75,000 patients, including around 54,000 patients at a field hospital in the Strip and over 21,000 patients at the floating hospital in Al Arish, according to the Emirates News Agency.
In addition, more than 2,700 patients and their family members have been evacuated from Gaza to receive specialised treatment in UAE hospitals, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Food security programmes have also played a central role in the UAE's humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians.
Relief operations have delivered more than 100,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, including food, medical assistance and emergency relief materials for affected communities.
Humanitarian water initiatives have also provided over two million gallons of drinking water to families experiencing severe shortages.
Across the Globe
With millions of people requiring aid worldwide, the UAE continues to expand its humanitarian outreach through healthcare, food assistance, and emergency relief across multiple regions.
Since 2023, support for Sudan has totalled $784 million, bringing the UAE's assistance to $4.24 billion between 2015 and 2025. In Yemen, the UAE committed $1 billion to the energy sector, including renewable power plants in Aden and Shabwa serving over a million homes, alongside relief aid such as Ramadan meals, flood assistance for 960 families, food distribution, education support, and a WHO-backed initiative in Socotra to combat malnutrition.
The UAE has also provided emergency aid to countries affected by floods and other crises, delivering 700 tonnes of food to Somalia, over 1,000 tonnes to Chad for 150,000 flood victims, and running winter relief campaigns in Albania and Bangladesh. Emirati relief teams supported aid operations in Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, and pledged $10 million to help countries across Asia and the Pacific respond to natural disasters.
Beyond emergency aid, the UAE invests in long-term healthcare infrastructure. It signed agreements to build a $20 million eye hospital in Uganda; the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Hospital and a dialysis centre in N'Djamena, Chad; and allocated a $64.5 million grant to support Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. In Ukraine, the UAE inked a $4.5 million agreement to develop orphanage care centres.
The country's humanitarian outreach has evolved steadily since the early years of the federation. Over the decades, it has grown its relief and development efforts across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, providing both immediate assistance and sustained support.
This approach reflects a national philosophy shaped by the late Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose humanitarian outlook helped define the country's global engagement. As officials often recall, Sheikh Zayed was "a pioneer in extending aid and assistance around the world without discrimination based on race, colour, or religion".
