‘Suqiya Al Emarat’ initiative strengthens UAE’s role as the ‘Capital of Charity: Mohammed
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched on Saturday the Suqiya Al Emarat (UAE Water Aid) initiative to provide clean drinking water to 5 million people in countries experiencing severe water shortages.
The initiative will start with the beginning of Ramadan to collect funds necessary for drilling wells in areas suffering from drought or lack of clean water, and to provide them with water filtration equipment.
The initiative will assist 5 million lives in those countries without basic amenities of life and change the bitter reality for millions of the needy and the poor.
The initiative of Suqiya Al Emarat (UAE Water Aid) is one of the several humanitarian initiatives launched by the UAE within the past few years to improve the living conditions of millions of people in various parts of the world.
Among those initiatives are ‘Noor Dubai’ and the ‘Mohammad Bin Rashid Initiative to Clothe One Million Children’ all over the world, which were launched by Sheikh Mohammed.
This initiative achieved its targets and surpassed one million child beneficiaries after only ten days of its launch.
Sheikh Mohammed confirmed during the launch of the initiative Suqiya Al Emarat that he UAE is the capital of goodness and charity.
He added that the beginning of the holly month of Ramadan is always witnessing the birth of the humanitarian initiatives from the UAE to everyone in need of help all over the world.
The humanitarian initiative of His Highness reflects his keenness to provide assistance to those in need of help and opens the UAE’s doors for humanitarian assistance to those countries in need for the basic and most important source for life on earth.
Many government and private bodies are involved in the initiative of Suqiya Al Emarat. All efforts are focused on the success of the campaign, but the people of the UAE and all residents are the most effective element for the success of the initiative.
However the Emarati people and their genuine nature is always the main motive for the charity and goodness.
Suqiya Al Emarat initiative comes amid growing water scarcity in scattered places around the world in recent decades that is causing a lot of problems that threaten the lives of millions of people.
The problem of scarcity of water around the world threatens to worsen seriously if there is inaction by world countries and relevant international bodies to develop urgent plans and strategies to provide radical solutions in those threatened areas.
The UN reports indicate that number of children affected by shortage of clean water is increasing day by day – a child’s life and growing up is based on clean and good quality water.
But the quality of drinking water is affected in many parts of the world due to biological and chemical contaminants that lead to a range of diseases which threaten the life of people and affect human health, particularly children.
United Nations statistics confirm that 85% of the world population lives in driest half of the planet while 783 million people are without access to clean water.
The UAE since its founding adopts a global policy in the field of humanitarian aid and charity. This policy is based on establishing the principles of helping and provide assistance to others.
This successful and effective policy has been welcomed globally and has received international recognition of the role of UAE and its contribution to improve and assist the lives of millions of people.
Between 2009 and 2013, the total external assistance provided by the State of the UAE related to water problems was worth Dh1.014 billion through the implementation of many projects in 61 countries around the world, according to a report by the Ministry of Development and international cooperation.