15 million people in 37 countries benefited from “Emirates Suqia” projects

Suqia UAE Foundation confirmed that the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, seeks to provide solutions to the challenges resulting from global water scarcity and support less developed societies to achieve sustainable development.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Suqia Foundation, said that the award, which is supervised by the Foundation, embodies the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in harnessing innovation and technology to serve humanity, and reflects the Emirati approach to developing effective solutions to confront the water crisis, as 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water, and more than 1,000 children under the age of five die every day from diseases related to the lack of water and sanitation.

He added that Suqia Emirates is committed to enhancing the UAE’s position in humanitarian work, as the number of beneficiaries of its projects since 2015 has reached about 15 million people in 37 countries, including 1.24 million beneficiaries in Tanzania from projects in cooperation with the Emirates Red Crescent Authority and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the Republic of Tanzania.

The total value of the award is one million US dollars, divided into four categories: innovative projects ($540,000, including $300,000 for large projects and $240,000 for small projects), innovation in research and development ($400,000, including $200,000 for national institutions and $200,000 for international institutions), individual innovations ($40,000, including $20,000 for each of the Distinguished Researcher and the Youth Award), and innovative solutions to crises ($20,000).

The categories include companies, non-governmental organizations, universities and innovators. Innovative projects require that the project be operated for at least 3 months using only renewable energy to produce safe drinking water, with projects divided according to the size of expenditures and the number of beneficiaries.

The award has so far witnessed four cycles, and 43 winners from 26 countries have been honoured, and the number of beneficiaries of the winning projects in the fourth cycle alone exceeded 14 million people in countries including Tunisia, Egypt, Botswana, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Syria, Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, Turkey, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Philippines, Fiji, and Ukraine. Georgia, and Indonesia.

The fifth cycle of the award focuses more on digital transformation, with preference given to projects that employ artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, which contributes to enhancing proactive monitoring and raising operational efficiency, an approach that confirms the award’s role in keeping pace with humanitarian requirements and technical developments.
Applications for the fifth cycle continue until May 31, 2026 via the website www.mbrowateraward.ae/awards.