Aid donors pushed on pledges

DUBAI // The UAE Minister of State called on international aid donors yesterday to stick to their long-term development promises. Speaking at the sixth annual Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (Dihad), Reem Ibrahim al Hashimy said the donor community had so far failed to deliver on the UN Millennium Development Goals.

These commitments were adopted at a summit in Sept 2000 by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads of state and government. The eight goals, ranging from human rights to tackling the Aids epidemic, were supposed to be achieved by 2015. Dubai is playing its part through the charity Dubai Cares, which was set up 18 months ago by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Its focus is on the educational goals, which demand universal access to primary schooling, and equal access for girls to secondary education.

To this end, the organisation has so far helped more than four million children go to primary school in countries including Bangladesh, Gaza, Djibouti, Yemen, Bosnia and Chad. Ms al Hashimy also thanked Sheikh Mohammed, along with the UAE Red Crescent and UN agencies, for another successful conference. She reiterated the importance of such events in helping organisations share their expertise. For the past three days representatives of key government and UN agencies, NGOs and private sector organisations have exchanged contact details and views, shared knowledge and experience.

Dihad is the Middle East's largest humanitarian conference. It aims to gather local, regional and international organisations, NGOs, UN agencies and government departments to discuss their experiences and plans through workshops, speeches and debates. More than 300 exhibitors participated in the conference, the theme of which was "Empowering communities: From disaster to development".
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