"Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives" It continues to support refugees with livelihood and food security projects

Dubai, 9 November / WAM / The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, organized a visit to the Indian capital, New Delhi, to inspect the conditions of Afghan, Rohingya and Chin refugees, find out their basic needs and see the efforts being made to help them cope with difficult circumstances.

The two-day visit also aimed to identify the positive impact of the joint humanitarian and development programs implemented by the Initiatives Foundation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India.

The delegation, which included Mohammed Al Yamahi, Director of Projects at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, Saudi artist Aseel Omran, Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, and Bisan Salama, Director of Relations with the Private Sector at UNHCR, visited Afghan, Rohingya and Chin refugee families in India and expressed solidarity with them and learned about their stories of resilience.

During the tour, the delegation from the Initiatives Foundation and the artist Aseel Omran visited the “Bosco” community center in the Indian capital, New Delhi, where they listened to a briefing session presented by the UNHCR regarding its activities in India that target livelihoods and food aid, and its cooperation with the Initiatives Foundation to support refugees. It also viewed some of the initiatives and projects implemented by refugees with the support of the Initiatives Foundation with the aim of earning a living and promoting self-reliance.

The Initiatives Foundation delegation also met with families benefiting from the projects implemented by the Foundation and the High Commissioner for Refugees, to find out ways to develop these projects to raise their efficiency and increase the number of beneficiaries, thus contributing to improving their conditions. The delegation also participated in food aid distribution activities at the “Bosco” community center, and in the homes of refugee families who are unable to come to the center.

Muhammad Al-Yamahi and Aseel Omran visited small projects run by refugees, and learned about their goals, how they work, and the challenges facing their workers.

Ibrahim Al Balushi, Director of the Sustainability and Partnerships Department at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, confirmed that the Foundation continues to intensify its efforts to help forcibly displaced people around the world, by launching ambitious programs that contribute to meeting their basic needs, and enable them to develop their capabilities to participate in the implementation and management of small projects, which alleviates the burden of displacement and helps them improve their living conditions in the areas of food, education, and health.

He said: “Our visit to India was an important opportunity to learn about the details of the daily lives of refugees, and to determine their needs. It also aimed to evaluate the impact of our joint projects with UNHCR in India, and how to expand the base of their beneficiaries.”

For her part, Bisan Salamah, Director of Relations with the Private Sector at UNHCR, said that the close cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation represents a role model in how to coordinate efforts to achieve noble humanitarian goals, which has been achieved since the start of the partnership between the two sides in the year 2021. UNHCR was able to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people in the continents of Asia and Africa, thanks to the generous support provided by the Foundation.

She pointed out that the visit of the Initiatives Foundation delegation to India opened a wide scope for the two sides to enhance their cooperation, evaluate their joint programs and the successes achieved during the last period, and the possibility of expanding the implementation of new ideas that benefit refugees in India.

In turn, Aseel Omran said that the visit is a unique humanitarian experience, noting that the delegation listened to moving stories from the displaced, learned about their dreams and ambitions, and the challenges they face far from their homes, and within two days was able to get closer to their suffering and realize the extent of their need for psychological support.

She appreciated the vital role played by the UAE and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation in refugee relief, and its constant support for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to achieve its goals in providing food, medicine, shelter, and educational infrastructure to the forcibly displaced.

Cooperation between the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation and the UNHCR to implement joint programs and projects to support forcibly displaced persons in India is one of the fruits of the partnership that began between the two sides in the year 2021. The Foundation is one of the main contributors to funding UNHCR programs, and the total support provided by it until the end of the year 2024 reached 136 million dirhams (about 37 million US dollars), benefiting more than 750,000 refugees, displaced persons, and members of host communities in the continents of Asia and Africa.

These amounts were allocated to finance humanitarian relief and sustainable development programs implemented by UNHCR in the continents of Asia and Africa.

The contributions provided by the Initiatives Foundation, in India, amount to more than 29.7 million dirhams (8.1 million US dollars) to support more than 100,000 refugees by supporting livelihoods and providing food aid to provide a decent life for refugee families.

In January 2025, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation pledged to provide about 36.7 million dirhams (about 10 million US dollars) to support sustainable programs and projects for displaced communities through the UNHCR, bringing the total pledges made by it to 173 million dirhams (about 47 million US dollars) since 2021.

It is noteworthy that the total volume of spending by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, the largest of its kind in the region in the field of charitable, humanitarian, relief and community work, amounted to more than 2.2 billion dirhams in the year 2024, benefiting about 149 million people in 118 countries around the world, within five main work axes: humanitarian and relief aid, health care and combating disease, spreading education and knowledge, innovating the future and leadership, and empowering communities.

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