Values of giving are deep-rooted in souls of UAE’s children

H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, stressed that the UAE has followed an important humanitarian path and created a unique way of promoting its charity and humanitarian work, both inside and outside the country.

In her statement marking World Humanitarian Day, Her Highness said, "The values of giving are deep-rooted in the souls of the nation’s children, who are following the path of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and are drinking from the ever-lasting fountain of their grandfathers’ and fathers’ heritage, and who value the care of the nation’s wise leadership for humanitarian issues that affect many of the world’s people, and its ongoing concern for the fate of those affected, and its efforts to ease their suffering and help them avoid potential dangers, through its constant desire to support the afflicted, provide them with the best rescue services, and ease their suffering."

The "Mother of the UAE" added, "Standing side-by-side with refugees in their time of suffering is a humanitarian duty that is required by our religion and traditions, and this duty does not end at certain borders or countries, nor at certain groups of people, because humanity is greater than borders and languages. What the kind-hearted have offered to refugees is a beautiful expression of their noble feelings for the whole of humanity."

Her Highness also expressed her sadness and sorrow at the suffering of women refugees, especially as their children are paying the price and are especially affected by crises in many areas. "We must all help to ease and end their suffering and the suffering faced by women refugees," she added.

Her Highness also highlighted some initiatives she had launched, including the establishment of the "Fund for Refugee Women," which aims to provide a dignified living for women facing difficulties and crises due to extreme circumstances that made them refugees, and forced them to travel and live away from their homes and countries. She said she hopes the fund can make a real and tangible contribution and extend a helping hand to refugee mothers, as well as to be a source of comfort and peace of mind for thousands of children facing various tragedies and suffering from many diseases.

Further, Her Highness praised the role of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, in supporting and helping the victims of famine in many parts of the world, by providing shelter, food, water and medicine, and preserving the lives of innocent people and protecting them from local dangers. "The UAE has offered aid to vulnerable countries, both near and far, in a brotherly, friendly and equal way, without asking for any political or economic returns for its aid, because the UAE’s humanitarian goals comply with the values of all Abrahamic religions and global cultures," she added.

Her Highness noted that the latest statistics on Emirati humanitarian aid delivered to over 100 countries around the world, which is valued at some US$5 billion since 2015, highlight the fact that the UAE is in the first position among the list of countries that offer humanitarian aid, according to the reports of specialist international organisations.