ABU DHABI // The UAE’s presence in the international arena – in humanitarian aid, business and foreign policy – has been a revelation, says the Duke of Westminster.
He said the UAE had risen to the challenge of helping countries and people in crisis around the Middle East and the world.
“What I find so interesting about the UAE in particular is how they’ve risen to the challenge of becoming very international in their outlook and the way they’re doing business,” said the duke, who is the owner of the Cavendish Group.
“They’ve almost taken the West by surprise in the way they’ve become internationally responsible, in the way they’re conducting foreign affairs. It’s been a revelation to me.”
He was here seeking support for two humanitarian projects, and met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
The projects are a field hospital for Syrian refugees, and a Dh1.8 billion military rehabilitation hospital in the UK, which would also help members of the UAE Armed Forces.
The duke also met Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and head of the Emirates Red Crescent, and Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development and head of the Committee for the Coordination of Foreign Humanitarian Aid.
The situation in Syria is “not something that’s going to go away tomorrow or the next day”, said the former Territorial Army major general, who was also deputy commander of the UK land forces.
“It’s a long-term problem that’s going to be a least a decade in solving and to do that, we must continue to provide two things to the camps – medical care and education.”
The UAE has given Dh2.6bn to the world’s refugees in the past five years, with Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Yemen among its biggest recipients.
“People here have been very responsive. In this part of the world, it’s all Arabs together,” he said.
The duke said helping Syrian refugees had “nothing to do with politics. It’s a humanitarian problem and it should cross all race, colour and creed”.
He has personally contributed £50 million (Dh295.6m) for the military rehabilitation hospital, the extra capacity of which will be used to help refugees and wounded soldiers from friendly countries such as the UAE.
“When we have spare capacity we’ll be able to take people out of the camps and put them in the centre, and that’s a good feeling,” he said. “With our friends and allies, we will also be able to export not only expertise but our technology to other centres.
“I also see us being able to train trauma surgeons, and we all need trauma surgeons between natural disasters like tsunamis and wars.”
Leo Docherty, a former captain with the Scots Guards, has been assisting the duke with the fund-raising project in the UAE.
“We have a fantastic tradition of working with the Gulf and in particular the UAE,” said Mr Docherty, who was a classmate of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, at the British military academy Sandhurst.
“We’ve got a very warm defence relationship with the UAE, which is reflected in the number of service personnel we have here in the Gulf.”
Given the UAE’s key role in international aid, Mr Docherty said it was natural for the two countries to work together on such projects.
“People here get these projects,” he said. “We share the idea of responsibility towards military personnel between the Gulf and the UK.”
