While the UAE is lauded for the generosity of its international aid budget, less heralded but similarly significant has been the nation's indirect contribution to raising the living standards of tens of millions of people around the world: remittances from those working here.
Whether it is low-skilled workers who spend years away from their loved ones so their children can attend university, others who are using the stability and peace of the Emirates to rebuild their lives after discord in their homelands or even just the already well-off padding their retirement funds, the UAE's foreign workforce is a powerful force for human betterment.
But for all those who come to the Emirates and create a better life for themselves and their families, there are also some who land themselves in an even bigger financial mess. Most of the time, these problems stem from a lack of financial literacy.
All this explains the importance of the range of initiatives that either increase the fiscal smarts of those working here or act to prevent them getting into trouble in the first place.
These include the Pinoy Wise Movement, as reported in The National yesterday, that aims to educate Filipinos in the UAE of better ways to providing for their families than just sending remittances home.
Another way of preventing workers here getting into trouble will be the long-awaited Al Etihad Credit Bureau, which shares information between banks so those deeply in debt cannot simply go to another bank and get a new credit card to continue their spending.
Most people who come to the Emirates find a better standard of living, not least because of the tax-free incomes. Some will simply improve their lifestyle to match the new income, and a few of those will go even further and give in to the temptation to live beyond their means.
This is why both types of approach - teaching financial literacy and stricter controls of credit - are needed.
The UAE is known not only as a place that welcomes foreign workers but also for the strictness of its laws about bad debts. Nobody wants to see more people incarcerated for having become irretrievably in debt when they ought to have been using the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.