ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 31st Oct, 2018) A European Parliament delegation praised the humanitarian and development initiatives of the UAE in Yemen while stressing that the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, is one of the most effective and influential organisations in the region.
The remarks were made when Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the ERC, received Michele Alliot-Marie, Chairperson of the Arab Peninsula Committee of the European Parliament, and her delegation, at the headquarters of the ERC.
Dr. Al Falahi highlighted the effectiveness of the ERC’s rescue programmes and development projects in Yemen.
Alliot-Marie expressed the appreciation of the European Parliament for the UAE’s efforts to ease the suffering and improve the lives of those affected by the events taking place in many Yemeni governorates while adding that she is keenly monitoring the ERC’s activities in Yemen and how it is handling the humanitarian situation with responsibility and efficiency.
She also expressed the desire of the European Parliament to cooperate with the ERC in delivering aid from its partner organisations, as the ERC has significant experience in operating in Yemen while noting the coordination between both parties and their efforts to strengthen their partnership, to tackle the challenges faced by the Yemeni people.
Both sides agreed on the importance of strengthening their cooperation and exchanged ideas and information, to serve their aspirations to deliver aid to those affected, coordinate their distribution of supplies and food aid, and enlarge the scope of their work to include more Yemeni governorates.
The meeting also discussed the field cooperation between the two sides in other regions, especially those hosting many Syrian refugees, such as Jordan, Lebanon and Greece.
Alliot-Marie said that the direct repercussions of events in Yemen on the lives of civilians require greater efforts and more programmes, to meet the growing needs of those affected while further adding that the ERC is among the parliament’s key humanitarian partners in the region, and her delegation’s visit aims to conduct further consultations on the current humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Dr. Al Falahi welcomed the delegation’s visit while pointing out that the outcomes of their meeting will have a direct impact on their rescue operations in Yemen.
He added that H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC, has prioritised the ERC’s cooperation and coordination with international humanitarian organisations and is urging everyone to double their efforts to achieve the interests of humanity.
Al Falahi also explained the ERC’s previous role in Yemen and the programmes it has implemented in various areas while affirming that the coming period will witness a significant expansion in its work in Yemen. He also presented the ERC’s projects and programmes in other countries, such as Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Greece.
