The UAE was the biggest donor of foreign aid in 2014 according to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD.
With a total contribution of Dh18.36 billion of developmental aid in 2014, the UAE spent 1.26 per cent of gross national income on foreign developmental aid.
This is the second year in a row the UAE has been the highest contributor to foreign aid and also ranked first in 2013.
In 2013, the UAE’s overseas aid donations more than tripled to Dh21.63 billion from the Dh5.83 billion in 2012.
Typically the UAE makes most of its donations through ministries, the Armed Forces, authorities and agencies.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, minister of International Cooperation and Development and head of the UAE Committee for Coordination of Humanitarian Foreign Aid, said that holding the title for the second year in a row shows the strength of the UAE’s humanitarian mission.
She said it also shows that the UAE is a humanitarian hub and a source of relief and aid to all friendly nations in the world.
The UAE aimed its aid at improving the long-term development of recipient countries by helping their citizens to escape poverty, receive education and improve their health.
Sheikha Lubna thanked the donors and highlighted the importance of this ranking in the world.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 3 (Kroos 4', Ramos 30', Marcelo 37')
Eibar 1 (Bigas 60')
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
