The UAE in 2025…excellence in the humanitarian field and creating hope throughout the world

The UAE has dedicated itself to being one of the most prominent humanitarian forces in the world during the year 2025, through qualitative initiatives and projects that go beyond emergency response to adopt long-term humanitarian and development systems that enhance the quality of life and empower the most needy communities.

The UAE maintained its position at the forefront of international donors, after it was ranked the third largest donor of humanitarian aid for the year 2025, with a value of $1.46 billion, according to the financial tracking system of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UAE provided one of the largest humanitarian responses to the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the crisis until the beginning of this December, as the value of its aid exceeded 9.4 billion dirhams, which included more than 100,000 tons of supplies and two million gallons of water, in addition to the evacuation of 3,000 patients and treatment facilities in the country. The Emirati field hospital in Gaza also received about 54,000 cases, while the floating hospital in Al-Arish provided its services to more than 21,000 cases.

The UAE has continued to support the Sudanese people, with its aid since the outbreak of the crisis in 2023 exceeding approximately $784 million, including $15 million recently allocated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as part of humanitarian efforts to mitigate the repercussions of the conflict there.

The UAE is the second largest donor to Sudan, as the value of the aid it provided to Sudan between 2015-2025 exceeded $4.24 billion.

The UAE has strengthened its humanitarian and development presence in Yemen, as the Red Crescent Authority implemented a project to distribute Iftar meals for fasting people in Mukalla during the last month of Ramadan, and in Socotra, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation launched a specific initiative in partnership with the World Health Organization to combat malnutrition of children and women. The UAE also provided urgent assistance to 960 families affected by the floods on the West Coast, and continued distributing food baskets and opening a new school in Hadhramaut, in addition to the “School Bag” project. In Taiz and Hodeidah.

In a step that reflects the country’s commitment to supporting sustainable development, the UAE has allocated one billion dollars to support the energy sector in Yemen. The renewable energy sector in Yemen has witnessed a qualitative leap thanks to the projects implemented by Emirati companies, including the Aden and Shabwa stations, which will contribute to supplying more than a million homes with clean electricity in the coming years.

The UAE continued to support humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine, as its mediations resulted in the exchange of 4,641 prisoners between the Russian and Ukrainian sides since the outbreak of the crisis between them. The Emirates International Aid Agency also signed an agreement worth $4.5 million with the Olena Zelenska Foundation to develop centers for caring for orphans and foster families in Ukraine, completing a first phase that included establishing fully equipped centers.

The UAE’s humanitarian presence included several countries, where it provided urgent assistance to those affected by floods, fires, and health crises. In Somalia, it sent 700 tons of food supplies in support of tens of thousands of people affected by the floods, and in Chad, the volume of aid it provided reached more than 1,000 tons in support of 150,000 people affected by the floods. The UAE also implemented winter aid campaigns in Albania and Bangladesh.

The UAE provided extensive support to Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka through specialized relief teams, and concluded the year by announcing a pledge worth $10 million to support those affected in eastern Democratic Congo and neighboring countries.

The UAE announced a new pledge worth $550 million to support the comprehensive humanitarian response plan launched by the United Nations, which aims to raise $33 billion in 2026 to provide relief to approximately 135 million people in 23 humanitarian operations around the world.

In line with its civilizational mission, the UAE signed an agreement to build an integrated Emirati ophthalmology hospital in Entebbe, Uganda, worth $20 million. In East Jerusalem, the state allocated a grant worth $64.5 million to support Al-Maqasid Hospital, one of the most important Palestinian medical centers.

The UAE signed an agreement to build Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Hospital and a dialysis center in Chad on an area exceeding 11,000 square metres, in order to provide an advanced treatment system in the heart of Africa.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives confirmed its commitment to supporting refugees, through a new contribution worth 36.7 million dirhams to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, bringing its total pledges since 2021 to 163.6 million dirhams.

The UAE continued its efforts to empower youth through digital education, as it launched the “Digital School”, in cooperation with the “Ataya” project, the “Skills Academies” initiative to qualify 5 million young men and women in Africa with professional skills that are compatible with the needs of the labor market.

The year 2025 was marked by the launch of qualitative humanitarian initiatives, such as the “Father’s Endowment” campaign, which aims to establish an endowment fund, the proceeds of which will be allocated to provide treatment and health care for the poor, needy, and those unable, and the initiative launched by the Emirates Food Bank in partnership with the “Naama” initiative to provide one million meals from surplus food during Ramadan, while the “Life Endowment” campaign, which aims to support those suffering from chronic diseases, achieved great achievements, as it succeeded in collecting 509 million dirhams within two weeks of its launch.

The launch of the “Mohammed bin Rashid Endowment Neighborhood” project represented a milestone in the UAE’s humanitarian efforts, as it is the first integrated endowment neighborhood in the region, with an area of ​​two million square feet and investments amounting to 4.7 billion dirhams, and the proceeds of the project will be allocated to support education and health globally.