One in four UAE residents have family or friends affected by crises, study finds

The study, commissioned to mark World Refugee Day, also showed that 73 per cent of residents have made a donation to an international humanitarian cause in some form in the last year.

DUBAI // A quarter of UAE residents have family members or friends who have been affected by a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis, says a new survey.

The findings also show that 73 per cent of residents contributed to an international humanitarian cause in some form in the past year, and 43 per cent donated more than US$100 (Dh367) each year.

The YouGov poll of 1,017 people was conducted this month for NRS International, a Dubai company that produces humanitarian products for the United Nations and other aid agencies.

The study, entitled Humanitarianism in the UAE, was commissioned to mark World Refugee Day, which takes place on June 20 annually.

“It aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the attitudes and commitment of UAE residents to international humanitarian causes,” said the company. “Despite this direct exposure to the effects of such emergencies, the majority of respondents either underestimated or were unaware of the true scale of the current humanitarian crisis, the most serious since the end of the Second World War.”

The report said 76 per cent of respondents were unaware that 60 million people were either internally displaced or seeking asylum overseas.

Eighty-six per cent of respondents said it was important to contribute to people in need in the wake of a natural disaster or war.

Eighty per cent said they would be supporting such causes in the coming year, with 86 per cent saying that people displaced by a crisis needed urgent help.

“Countries across the world need our help to end the suffering of millions of people, and we applaud the massive contribution made by people living in the UAE,” said Farhaj Sarwar, the managing director of NRS International.

“As a developer and manufacturer of relief items such as refugee tents, tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and solar lights, we are proud to be based in Dubai, a true global humanitarian hub.”

Nicole Malick, the company’s manager of corporate social responsibility, said its foundation donated $1.75 million to various educational, public health and refugee projects.

“World Refugee Day is a time for us all to reflect on the refugees and displaced people around the world who bear terrible burdens through no fault of their own,” she said.

In 2014, the UAE was the biggest donor of foreign aid when ­expressed as a percentage of gross national income, according to the development assistance committee at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.