H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, has said that the final report of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD), released earlier this week, has affirmed the UAE's worthiness to win the first position as the world's largest donor country of official development assistance (ODA) in proportion to its gross national income (ODA/GNI ratio) where the historic record leap, that none of the DAC member states has made in the past 50 years, saw the UAE exceeding UN's target of 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by donating 1.34% of its GNI for official development assistance in 2013.
H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed said, "Since its establishment in 1971, the UAE has been contributing to supporting international sustainable development efforts and humanitarian response to global crises and disasters, based on the humanitarian philosophy of UAE's wise leadership, and generous contributions in the past decades to all international development arenas, thus securing the lives of millions of people around the world, establishing international peace and security, creating better opportunities and a brighter future for people in developing countries." "The UAE has attained this advanced position in international development efforts, according to the final report of Development Assistance Committee (DAC), thanks to our wise leadership's directives, namely President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his brother Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the keen follow-up of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who continue to follow the humanitarian approach and values of generous giving and fraternity that were established by the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan," added H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed The final report released recently by the Paris-based Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that UAE donated Dh19.84 billion (US$5.4 billion), or 1.34% of its gross national income, in official development aid, an unprecedented contribution by a DAC member donor country in the past 50 years, where France was the only country to achieve this ratio in 1961.
DAC commended UAE's efforts to enhance and support international development.
According to DAC's report, Norway is the second largest donor of official development assistance with 1.07% ODA/GNI ratio, followed in the third place by Sweden (1.01%), Luxembourg (1%), Denmark ( 0.85%), United Kingdom (0.71%) and the Netherlands (0.67%).
For her part, Sheikha Lubna bent Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development (Micad) and Head of the UAE Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Foreign Aid, said, "The indices of DAC/OECD confirm beyond any doubt the UAE's leadership and precedence in all international development arenas as it continues to support the international community's efforts to create and improve the livelihoods of people in the developing countries, and consolidate its global stature in the international development arena." She added that these indices and international unprecedented results for UAE were made thanks to God, Glorified and Exalted, then to the vision and philosophy of our rational leadership, affirming that UAE is targeting to enhance the international sustainable development efforts, through all potential development aid channels, and contribute in establishing the mutual responsibility towards all global themes.
Minister Al Qasimi also noted that after DAC had released, in early April 2014, its preliminary analysis of ODA data for 2013 showing that the UAE was the world's largest donor country in terms of ODA/GNI ratio in 2013, it was almost certain that the UAE will maintain this position until the DAC's final report is released, which it did with a ODA/GNI ratio of 1.34 % exceeding all expectations.
Source: WAM