The Ambassador made the remarks recently when he hosted representatives of various international organizations at the UAE Embassy in Rwanda, whom he told about his country’s foreign aid policy in support of peace and prosperity.

The dignitaries included representatives from such international organizations as the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNFPA, among others.

Ambassador Al-Qahtani said that the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s leading donors, a legacy inherited from its founding leaders such as Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, who taught them to promote cooperation and simplicity regardless of skin color, gender, race or religion.

"In 1971, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan established the Abu Dhabi Development Fund (ADFD), by extending a hand to help relatives and friends to achieve sustainable development goals," he said.

Later, other charitable foundations were established, including the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Emirati Red Crescent, and various other organizations, in support of global peace and prosperity.

The assistance provided by the United Arab Emirates includes support of expertise in various countries, in addition to the provision of assistance to combat conflict and extremism.

Ambassador Alqahtani said: “We help in supporting the well-being of the people of those countries, giving them opportunities for the future, in the context of economic integration, eradication of poverty, education and employment for the youth, development of public services and justice.”

The UAE, which for 6 years in a row is one of the world’s largest donors, came in first place from 2013 to 2017, in 2018 exceeding the United Nations target of at least 0.7% of GDP, at which time the UAE provided a subsidy of 0.93% of GDP.

The UAE has provided and continues to support various countries on various continents. From 2015 to 2020, the UAE has provided $ 38.89 billion in international aid.

Of this, 45.2% is equivalent to $ 17.60 billion, given to African countries, 43.8% is equivalent to $ 17.02 billion in Asia, equivalent to 6% in Europe, and other in America and Oceania.

In addition to the UAE’s support for countries, there have also been donations from various international organizations, including WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, UNFPA, WHO, and various others, all of which have been funded in the amount of $ 2 billion between 2015 and 2020.

The United Arab Emirates has also supported Rwanda in various activities, worth $ 11.9 million over the past five years.

Ambassador Alqahtani said that among the UAE-sponsored activities in Rwanda were the provision of various training, support for development projects and the provision of opportunities to study in the UAE for Rwandan students.

“In 2019, the UAE, through its Embassy in Kigali, organized a three-day training course for 100 women, training on hospitality management, which focused on expanding the professionalism of hospitality and more.

“Since 2018, 20 Rwandan boys and girls have been awarded scholarships to study at the United Arab Emirates University in various fields including, construction, engineering, electricity, biology, chemistry, and computer.”

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, Dr. Fodé Ndiaye, who was also present at the meeting, thanked Ambassador Azza Alqahtani for considering bringing them together and thanked the UAE for its role in supporting international development and cooperation.