At a time when difficult economic conditions are prompting many countries to cut their international aid budgets, how should the world react to the UAE's pledge to dedicate 15 per cent of its projected budgets for that purpose? Dr Maytha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, made the announcement at a session of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
This country is already the world's largest donor of development assistance by proportion of gross national income, but in the past the significance of this extraordinarily generous contribution has often been discounted by some analysts because of our oil wealth. However that argument has been negated by the protracted period of low oil prices, which has prompted the UAE and other Gulf states to run deficit budgets.
In this context, the decision to continue allocating money for aid projects sends a powerful message to the rest of the world about our core values. Dr Al Shamsi said the emphasis of our aid programme is on climate change and dealing with the root causes of conflicts, as well as helping those affected by unrest such as the Syrian war.
It also sends a message about the international community’s responsibility to help the needy, even in difficult economic times. The United Nations has called on each developed country to commit 0.7 per cent of its GDP to official development assistance. However in the most recent figures for the 29 members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, the average was 0.3 per cent and only Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom met or exceeded the 0.7 figure. The UAE’s proportion of development aid to GDP is second only to Sweden.
Within this philanthropy, there is also an element of self interest. Much of our aid is spent in this region, such as easing the burden on the millions displaced by the Syrian conflict and to help build Yemen’s private sector so the economy can regain a degree of the prosperity it had before the last five years of instability.
Part of the reason is a recognition that conflict will not stay neatly with national borders and it is better to find solutions to problems where they are before they become problems elsewhere. The UAE has long been a beacon for tolerance and generosity in a turbulent region. Our demonstrated commitment to helping others even at a time of low oil prices shows just who we are and what we believe in.
