UAE spends Dhs1.4 billion on projects impacting 102 million lives in 100 nations in 2022, says Mohammed

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the annual results of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ Year In Review report for 2022, during a special ceremony hosted at the Dubai Opera.

MBRGI, the largest foundation of its kind in the regional field of charity, humanitarian and aid work, spent a total of Dhs1.4 billion during 2022, positively impacting the lives of 102 million people in 100 countries around the world.

These figures reflect an increase in the number of beneficiaries by 11 million compared to 2021, while the Foundation’s reach extended to cover 100 countries; 3 more than those covered in 2021, further highlighting its leading position as the largest regional network of humanitarian, aid and development efforts.

The ceremony included a summary of MBRGI’s achievements over the past year, as well as updates regarding the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign and the honoring of major contributors to the campaign.

The ceremony was preceded by a meeting for MBRGI’s Board of Trustees at the Dubai Opera, presided over by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and attended by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MBRGI, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman & Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi; Secretary General of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, Reem Al Hashimy; Chairperson for Dubai Cares, Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, Mattar Al-Tayer; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award’, and Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Foundation (Suqia UAE).

Ongoing Generosity

Sheikh Mohammed said, “The UAE continues to establish its humanitarian role, actively contributing to creating a better life for millions of people. The UAE has opted for creating hope and building lives.  

“Alleviating the suffering of fellow humans, regardless of their origin, ethnicity comes first and foremost, and is part of our moral duty. Our initiatives and projects made a tangible difference in the lives of 102 million people across 100 countries, who have become a part of the UAE story, of which we are all proud. We continue to be devoted to humanitarian work, and to upholding our Emirati values,” he added.

A Beacon for Humanity

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum stressed that MBRGI plays a vital role in establishing the culture of giving and generosity, promoting and expanding its reach locally, regionally and globally.  “MBRGI achievements are the result of an institutional framework and group efforts throughout the year, thanks to the dedication of its teams and tens of thousands of volunteers, all implementing the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid.

“The humanitarian drive led by Mohammed Bin Rashid is part of his vision for leadership through highlighting the importance of humanitarian efforts in the UAE community for generations to come. The UAE will continue to extend help for those in need, and be a beacon for humanity,” he added.

Qualitative Projects

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Secretary General of MBRGI said: “Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives set a new record achievement by reaching 102 million people in 100 countries, in a true reflection of Sheikh Mohammed’s philosophy for humanitarian work based on qualitative, sustainable projects.
“Despite global challenges, MBRGI continues to expand its scope and increase spending, which is evident as the Foundation increased its spending by Dhs300 million in 2022 compared to 2021, enabling us to improve the lives of millions in the fields of education, work and healthcare,” he added.

The ceremony included a brief summary of the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign, which launched the largest Ramadan sustainable food aid endowment fund and mobilized local, regional and international efforts to help implement sustainable measures to fight and eradicate hunger within an institutional framework.

In 2022, MBRGI managed to improve operational efficiency and optimize its resources, increasing the number of beneficiaries as well as the countries it reached in just one year.

In addition to its team of 847 employees, MBRGI attracted 150,266 volunteers, a record number in MBRGI’s history and an increase of 5,330 volunteers compared to 2021. Their contributions played a vital role in implementing several of the Foundation’s projects and campaigns across its five main pillars: Humanitarian Aid and Relief, Healthcare and Disease Control, Spreading Education and Knowledge, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Empowering Communities.

Humanitarian Aid and Relief

30.2 million people benefited from MBRGI’s initiatives and projects under this pillar during 2022, representing a 7.3 million people increase compared to 2021. Spending on these programs rose by Dhs493 million compared to 2021, to reach Dhs910 million in 2022.

Operating under this pillar are the International Humanitarian City, UAE Food Bank, Mohammed Bin Rashid Humanitarian and Charity Foundation, Suqia and Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy.

Together, these institutions implemented food aid campaigns, winter clothes support drive, urgent relief aid for victims of wars and natural disasters, school building projects, student support campaigns, housing projects for the poor, clean water projects and an endowment initiative.

Healthcare and Disease Control

As the cornerstone in its vision of fighting infectious diseases and building healthy communities as the basis for healthy, productive humans able to advance their communities, MBRGI’s healthcare and disease control projects spent AED 42.5 million to benefit 9.4 million people during 2022.

Institutions operating under this pillar are Noor Dubai and Al Jalila Foundation, both working to improve healthcare, medical sciences and scientific research.

Among their achievements in 2022 was Al Jalila Foundation’s launch of the first robotic biobank in the UAE set to open in 2023 and a crucial resource for local research into genetic disorders, cancer, epidemics and other chronic diseases.

On the other hand, Noor Dubai continued to make a sustainable impact through preventive and educational campaigns aimed at eradicating the causes of blindness and vision impairment in underprivileged communities. Other projects by Noor Dubai included a national outreach program aimed to help treat UAE residents with limited financial capability and who are suffering from critical eye diseases, mobile eye clinics to facilitate serving patients across the UAE. Through its Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programme, Noor Dubai provided the antibiotic Zithromax to 9,142,612 people and trained 15,000 public health workers on treatment regimens to combat trachoma.

Spreading Education and Knowledge

Reflecting the importance MBRGI places on education as a key to advancing societies, Spreading Education and Knowledge projects saw a record increase in the number of beneficiaries reaching 55.1 million people, up 6.7 million from numbers recorded in 2021. Total spending on knowledge and education programs reached Dhs 213 million.

To this end, MBRGI designs and implements a variety of education and knowledge initiatives regionally and globally to build capacities of everyone involved in the education journey, from students to teachers and administrators. The Foundation aims to establish innovative e-learning platforms that keep up with modern educational curricula and global technological developments.

Achievement in this area during 2022 included Dubai Cares report on “Rewiring Education for People and Planet” during UN’s Transforming Education Summit, the launch of Madrasa educational centers in 7 countries, fully equipped to serve communities with economic and social challenges, the opening of Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, a new cultural beacon that triggers a passion for knowledge. The library welcomed more than 300,000 visitors in 6 months.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This pillar, key to moving towards a knowledge-based economy and paving the way for new sectors to emerge, spent a total of Dhs128 million on implementing various projects and initiatives that benefited 4.6 million people in 2022, compared to 2.9 million in 2021.

Achievement in this regard included the launch of Concept Plus, a new business incubator for digital technology SMEs, a new edition of Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Water Award which encourages research facilities to develop new solutions to face the challenge of clean water scarcity, over 1 million participations in Dubai Future Foundation’s One Million Arab Coders Initiative, as well as the opening of Museum of the Future; an icon of knowledge and a global symbol of advancement based in Dubai.

During its first year, the Museum of the Future received over 1 million visitors from 163 countries, and more than 1,000 international government officials and experts, including about 20 heads of state and official delegations.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development continued to serve Emirati entrepreneurs and start-ups, extending its services to 3,126 entrepreneurs and 2,210 start-ups in 2022.

Empowering Communities

2.3 million people benefited from community empowerment projects and initiatives during 2022, compared to 2.1 people in 2021, with a total spending of Dhs 95.1 million reflecting an increase of Dhs6.4 million from the previous year.

Institutions working under this pillar include Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, Arab Media Forum, Arab Social Media Influencers Summit, Dubai International Sports Conference, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, Arab Strategy Forum, Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development and Arab Hope Makers.