Dubai Aims High With Philanthropy

Most of you know Dubai for its sun, sand and skyscrapers, but in this article I want to share with you how the glittering emirate is quietly developing another signature distinction – large-scale philanthropy.

As usual, Dubai is thinking big. With ambitions similar to the philanthropic vision of technology billionaire Bill Gates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, has set a goal of helping at least 130 million people by 2025.

Let’s look at how Sheikh Mohammed is making this possible.

Implementing a global scope

Working under the banner of Sheikh Mohammed’s namesake foundation, the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, 29 organisations and initiatives are supporting 1,400 development projects in 116 countries.

The scope of work varies widely but falls within four broad goals:

·        Combatting poverty and disease,

·        Spreading knowledge,

·        Empowering communities, and

·        Entrepreneurship and innovation.

In the Nepalese village of Sukumbasi Tole, Dubai Cares is supporting education for children who are considered untouchables, on the lowest rung of a caste system that retains its power over daily life despite being declared illegal more than 50 years ago

In Ethiopia, Noor Dubai, an organisation focused on combatting blindness, ensured that an elderly blind man, Dibaba Honiso, was able to get the cataract surgery that restored his eyesight.

In the Kasala region of Sudan, another MBRGI organisation, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, supported medical teams combatting illnesses triggered by a major Nile flood.

Focusing on tolerance

Sheikh Mohammed offers a simple explanation for his ambitious humanitarian and philanthropic goals: “We were raised to love, to do good and to help other people.”

Several projects under the global initiatives umbrella focus on another passion of the Dubai ruler – tolerance. With nearly 3 million residents from over 190 countries, Dubai has become a shining example of harmony and diversity in the Middle East.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Peace, established in 2011, recognises individuals and organisation that contribute peace, tolerance and humanitarian pursuits. It also sponsors events and conferences that promote tolerance and dialogue between different religions and cultures.

Responding to human emergencies

Dubai’s involvement in global humanitarian efforts began in earnest in 2003 with the launch of the International Humanitarian City (IHC), a unique free zone and logistical hub created to facilitate cooperation among United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector companies in the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The IHC is now the world’s largest humanitarian supply depot, housing 10 United Nations agencies and over 50 humanitarian NGOs, as well as massive stocks of food for the World Food Programme; medical supplies for the World Health Organisation; temporary housing for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency; four-wheel drive UN vehicles and other disaster relief necessities.

The IHC has played a key role in responding to humanitarian emergencies including the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti as well as the spreading famine in South Sudan, the Syria crisis, and the civil war in Yemen.

The IHC’s location has contributed to its success. In a time of crisis, UN agencies and other IHC members can reach more than two-thirds of the world's population in as little as 8 hours, aided by Dubai’s state-of-the-art port and airport facilities.

The IHC is much more than a supply warehouse. It also plays a leading role in fostering collaboration and improving the logistics of humanitarian relief. In addition to hosting emergency training sessions and donor meetings, it is creating a global database of aid stocks to improve the flow of assistance, and minimise duplication and delay when a crisis hits.

The IHC also supports UN and NGO staff during and after emergency evacuations from conflict regions.

Setting a vision for the future

Sheikh Mohammed, who created the global initiatives foundation in 2015 to foster cooperation among Dubai’s various philanthropic activities, has left no doubt that he intends to expand Dubai’s humanitarian footprint. His foundation has outlined plans to invest more than $2.7 (10 billion AED) by 2025 to deliver on its four major goals.

In Sheikh Mohammed’s view, the big problems require equally big solutions.  “The huge challenges faced by our region require a foundation of a scale that can meet the scale of these challenges,” he said in announcing the global initiatives project. “With all our work and initiatives we seek nothing but God’s approval. Our true value is measured by what we add to this life and our true happiness lies in what we offer to make people happy.”