ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 27th Nov, 2019) H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, stated that the initiatives during the Year of Tolerance have reinforced the ERC’s response to humanitarian challenges and highlighted the UAE’s vision of promoting the values of giving.
He made this statement while chairing the fourth ERC Board of Directors Meeting in 2019, held at the ERC’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan said that current regional and international humanitarian challenges require a new approach of working, stressing that the ERC is closely following international humanitarian developments and is keeping pace with them, through successful plans and strategies that reinforce the UAE’s leading humanitarian stature.
He also pointed out that the current humanitarian challenges require stronger partnerships between individuals, organisations and various segments of the community, in solidarity with beneficiaries and humanitarian crises victims.
The board reviewed reports presented by Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the ERC, covering several topics, including the ERC’s humanitarian campaigns from 2015 to 2019 costing a total of AED1.8 billion and covering the four geographical areas of Aden, Hadramaut, the Red Sea Coast and Socotra. In Aden alone, the ERC spent AED1.34 billion on basic services and health and educational projects as well as humanitarian and relief operations.
The board was also briefed about the progress of work of the Hadramaut Governorate Council, which has been supported by the ERC in its efforts to reinforce cultural interactions between the Emirati and Yemeni peoples and provide places to hold social occasions and weddings, costing around AED1.9 million.
The board then presented the details of development and services projects carried out in several countries and was briefed about the first phase of various projects in the Comoro Islands costing AED10.20 million, which benefitted 96,950 people.
The board also reviewed the progress of a water project in the Province of Tawa, Niger, costing AED4.7 million and benefitting 147,800 people, and was briefed about a project to construct 42 homes, as well as lit roads, in Indonesia costing AED3.6 million, which benefitted 1,200 people in the village of Sanja Sari. The projects also included digging of 7 wells and maintenance of other 10.
It also learnt about the "Madrasa" a free eLearning platform of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, which aims to provide e-learning in 1,000 remote villages without access to the internet and was implemented over four phases in the Emirati-Jordanian camps for Syrian Refugees in Jordan, in addition to Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco and Egypt.
The board finally reviewed a report on the ERC’s local initiatives in 2019.
