UAE calls for humanitarian aid effort

The UAE urged the international community to redouble its efforts for humanitarian and social causes worldwide.

Food is distributed at a charity food centre in Dar Salaam, Mauritania, which partly supported by donations from the UAE.

The UAE urged the international community yesterday to redouble its efforts for humanitarian and social causes worldwide, while outlining its own achievements. In a statement to the UN's Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural affairs, Monira al Marzouqi, the UAE's delegate, said half of the world's people were either battling disease, victims of organised crime or suffering from illiteracy and unemployment.

At the UN headquarters in New York, Ms Marzouqi outlined efforts to improve living standards for UAE residents. "The United Arab Emirates believed in social justice and sought to participate effectively in international proceedings to create a peaceful world. "The Emirates had shown progress in its social development indicators, reflected in the rise in income levels, as well as increased spending on health, education and social protection schemes."

Ms Marzouqi said rates of illiteracy had also decreased in the country and that the enrolment of women in schools had risen, "accompanied by their increased participation in the workforce and in Government". She said the first free education programme had been launched to prepare Emirati youth, both male and female, for the job market. She also said UAE donations in Africa, South-east Asia and the Middle East had helped educate four million people.

Last year's Dubai Cares initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, surpassed within eight months of its launch its goal to provide a million children in developing countries with primary education. The UAE also is continuing to work with international aid agencies, including Unicef, Oxfam and Save the Children, to develop primary-education programmes and help countries meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Last year, the UAE donated US$1 million (Dh3.67m) to the World Food Programme for a programme in Mauritania, which provides families with food so their children may attend school. It had been closed for several months due to a lack of funds. Ms Marzouqi noted that child mortality rates in the UAE had been drastically reduced and that diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis had been eliminated. In reference to the global fight against human trafficking, Ms Marzouqi said the UAE had implemented laws to combat the crime and regulations to safeguard residents against unfair employment practices.

This month, the UN Third Committee is expected to discuss a range of topics with independent experts and chairmen of working groups involved in its Human Rights Council. The subjects will include the advancement of women, the protection of children, the treatment of refugees and the elimination of racial discrimination. The Third Committee also addresses social development issues related to youth, family, ageing, people with disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice and drug control.

* WAM, with additional reporting by Leah Oatway