Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
The UAE Aid Agency has signed a $3 million cooperation agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the reintegration and protection of returnees to Afghanistan, particularly women and children.
Announced during the agency’s participation in AIDEX 2026, the humanitarian aid and disaster relief exhibition and conference held in Geneva on October 21 and 22, the agreement will provide permanent, climate-resilient housing for 2,950 people in the provinces of Kabul, Herat and Kunduz.
The agreement forms part of the UAE’s wider efforts to support early recovery, deliver sustainable solutions for displaced persons and returnees, and strengthen the stability of communities affected by humanitarian crises.
At its dedicated pavilion, the agency presented the UAE’s approach to foreign assistance and highlighted its leading humanitarian initiatives, foremost among them Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 in the Gaza Strip and the Sheikha Fatima Fund for Refugee Women, which supports refugee women and empowers them economically and socially.
In a keynote address, Dr Tareq Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the UAE Aid Agency, affirmed the UAE’s commitment to continuing its global humanitarian and development role.
He underlined the importance of strengthening international partnerships, developing innovative financing models, and investing in sustainable solutions that build the capacity of communities to withstand and recover from crises.
On the sidelines of the conference, the agency held bilateral meetings with a number of international organisations and institutions, notably the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), as well as several UN and international bodies working in humanitarian response, health, education and development.
Discussions focused on expanding areas of cooperation and strategic partnership, strengthening crisis response, harnessing artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to forecast disasters and reduce their risks, and developing innovative solutions to support the communities most in need.
The agency also organised, in collaboration with UNHCR, a roundtable titled “Housing Solutions After Displacement: From Temporary Shelter to Recovery and Integration”.
Participants explored ways to move from temporary shelter assistance towards sustainable housing solutions, and the importance of partnerships with the private sector and donors in supporting the stability of refugees, displaced persons and host communities.
The UAE Aid Agency’s participation in AIDEX 2026 reflects the UAE’s commitment to strengthening its presence in international humanitarian forums and translating its pledges into tangible initiatives and projects that improve the lives of crisis-affected communities and advance international cooperation towards sustainable development.
