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The UAE has provided almost 40,000 tonnes of urgent supplies to Gaza since November, when the country launched its aid mission to help those affected by the war in the enclave.
The figures, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, show that 26,000 tonnes of aid was delivered by 234 flights and 1,055 lorries up until April 3.
Three aid ships also set off with 13,190 tonnes of much-needed aid to Al Arish Port in Egypt, to be distributed to Gaza as part of an operation called Gallant Knight 3.
The overwhelming majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced since the war began on October 7. About 1.5 million have taken refuge in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza close to Egypt’s border.
Almost 620 people from Gaza have also been brought to the UAE for medical treatment, accompanied by 635 family members.
Two hospitals have also been established as part of the UAE's programme to help those in need in Gaza, including one with a centre for amputees to provide prosthetic limbs to Palestinians wounded during the war.
These include a field hospital in the southern Gaza Strip with more than 100 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians.
“The UAE has spared no efforts both diplomatically and in its humanitarian efforts throughout this conflict to show that it does not simply pledge but makes efforts through action to help our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, told The National this year.
By mid-February, more than 3,500 patients had been treated at one of the field hospitals since it was established in December. The facility is used for general surgery and orthopaedics, while also offering anaesthetic services and intensive care for children and adults. It also offers internal medicine, dentistry, family medicine and psychiatric treatment.
The UAE has also provided a 100-bed floating hospital in Al Arish Port to support the hospital. The repurposed vessel – which has 100 medical and administrative staff on board – will remain docked off the coast of Al Arish to support relief efforts for Gaza.
The floating hospital has operating rooms, intensive care facilities, a laboratory, a pharmacy and medical warehouses.
The vast ship, which sailed from Khalifa Port, also has an evacuation plane and boat, as well as fully equipped ambulances.
The UAE also supplied five automated bakeries in Gaza which produces bread for up to 72,000 people, and enough flour for eight existing bakeries, which is helping to feed 17,140 people each day.
Six desalination plants were provided by the UAE, capable of generating up to 1.2 million gallons of clean drinking water a day to 600,000 people.
“Drinking water contains 100 to 800 parts per million [of salt], but the sea gives us about 25,000 parts per million. So, the clean water can now be used for drinking and other uses,” the desalination plants' project manager, Mohammad Al Rashidi, told The National in January.
Other initiatives include the Tarahum for Gaza campaign to collect humanitarian relief packages.
The campaign has resulted in more than 71,000 relief packages being prepared, with the involvement of 24,000 volunteers and 20 charity organisations.
More than 1,150 tonnes of food and relief aid have been dropped by plane into Gaza.
Watch: UAE and Egypt drop Eid Al Fitr supplies into Gaza
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
