In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation has announced the resumption of food aid to the Gaza Strip amounting to 43 million dirhams. This initiative is in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme and includes shipments of essential food items and relief packages intended for families in dire need.
The reinstatement of aid follows the reopening of border crossings into the region, highlighting the UAE’s ongoing support for the people of Gaza via land, sea, and air. This move continues the foundation’s commitment that began with the announcement in January 2024 of a 43 million dirham (11.7 million USD) contribution in direct food assistance for Gaza, benefiting one million individuals in collaboration with the World Food Programme.
The announcement for direct food assistance made in January 2024 is part of a long-standing tradition of generosity. In 2023, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed immediate aid of 50 million dirhams to Palestinian brothers through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation. Additionally, in September 2024, urgent humanitarian supplies were shipped to Gaza via the Egyptian Port of Al Arish, including 71.6 tons of essential medical supplies.
Furthermore, in January 2024, the foundation pledged approximately 37 million dirhams (10 million USD) to support Gaza’s health sector, enabling access to essential medical supplies for the population, particularly children.
Samir Abdel Jaber, the Regional Director for the World Food Programme in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, stated: “The partnership between the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation and the World Food Programme embodies our mutual commitment to deliver food support to those in need and alleviate the suffering of communities worldwide. Today’s initiatives to support Gaza demonstrate the foundation’s ongoing dedication to making a meaningful impact there, as well as strengthening its strategic partnership with the World Food Programme.”
Ambitious Programs
The total spending of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, the largest of its kind in the region focused on charitable and humanitarian work, exceeded 2.2 billion dirhams in 2024, benefiting approximately 149 million people in 118 countries worldwide. This was achieved across five key areas: humanitarian and relief assistance, healthcare and disease control, education and knowledge dissemination, fostering future innovations and leadership, and empowering communities.
For the humanitarian and relief assistance sector in 2024, the foundation’s expenditures surpassed 944 million dirhams, impacting over 37 million individuals globally.
In this context, the foundation executed numerous initiatives, projects, programs, and campaigns in 2024 that provided humanitarian aid and emergency supplies to disaster-affected areas. It also launched sustainable development projects in collaboration with various regional and international organizations.
The volume of aid and relief supplies transported and distributed with the support of Dubai’s humanitarian efforts last year reached 1,255 metric tons, benefiting around 3.7 million individuals worldwide.
Established in 2015, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation serves as an umbrella for various initiatives and institutions supported by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum over more than two decades.
The foundation comprises over 30 initiatives and institutions spanning various humanitarian, community, and developmental sectors, with a particular focus on underprivileged nations and marginalized communities in vulnerable areas.
Its mission includes promoting a culture of hope and effectively addressing pressing humanitarian, developmental, and societal challenges faced in several regions globally, concentrating on the less fortunate communities, and investing in human resources as vital capital by empowering talent, enhancing skills, and building qualified human capabilities in all developmental fields, thereby enabling them to lead their countries’ development.
Additionally, the foundation aims to improve educational realities in marginalized communities, combat poverty and disease, and foster values of tolerance and coexistence among peoples.