Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work 2024: Inspirational Initiatives Crown UAE as Global Capital for Goodness
The United Arab Emirates commemorates “Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work” 2024 on Friday, as its cross-border and cross-continental relief initiatives continue to spread goodwill around the world.
With inspirational initiatives and unprecedented giving campaigns spanning the globe from east to west, north to south, the UAE marches forward under the guidance of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to perpetuate the approach of the late founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in charity and developmental assistance for the needy across different nations. This rightfully elevates them as the capital of humanity and philanthropy.
“Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work” falls on the 19th of Ramadan every year, marking the anniversary of the passing of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, on this day in the year 1425 Hijri, corresponding to November 2, 2004.
Since his passing, the UAE, led by its leadership, government, and people, has endeavored to commemorate this legacy by following his path of charity and continuing the good works he instilled in them, honoring his legacy and drawing inspiration from his wisdom in establishing the humanitarian charity journey in the UAE and the world.
This year, as the commemoration coincides, the UAE continues to dispatch its aid and implement its Ramadan initiatives across the globe, from Indonesia in the east to Morocco in the west, passing through Pakistan, Ukraine, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Chad, and other countries worldwide.
The aid efforts are part of several initiatives that bolster the UAE’s leading position on the map of the most giving nations worldwide, especially during the holy month.
While these aid efforts persist throughout the year as part of the UAE’s humanitarian fraternity strategy, prioritizing “people first” without discrimination based on geography, ethnicity, or religion, they increase during the holy month of Ramadan due to its special significance embodying the values of mercy, tolerance, generosity, charity, and nobility.
The commemoration coincides with the announcement by the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defense of the execution of the 17th “Birds of Goodness” humanitarian and relief airdrop operation over northern Gaza, following the largest humanitarian and relief airdrop operation over northern Gaza since its inception, totaling 90 tons.
The largest humanitarian and relief airdrop operation over northern Gaza coincides with the UAE’s dispatch of an aircraft carrying 50 tons of food supplies to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a series of Ramadan programs and initiatives are being carried out by Emirati humanitarian and charitable associations around the world, especially in countries grappling with conflicts and crises.
The Emirates Red Crescent launched its seasonal Ramadan campaign titled “Ramadan: Continuous Giving,” benefiting around 1.8 million people in the UAE and 44 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America.
The organization’s programs include iftar, zakat al-fitr, Eid clothing, Ramadan charity, and iftar, with an initial cost of approximately 37,606,500 dirhams. The organization has bolstered its Ramadan programs this year to mitigate the repercussions of prevailing humanitarian situations in many countries.
On its part, the Charitable Association of Sharjah is implementing the “Iftar for the Fasting” project in 43 countries, benefiting 250,000 people in each country, including Egypt, Bahrain, Ethiopia, India, Malawi, Jordan, Bosnia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Jordan, the Maldives, Spain, Tanzania, and other countries.
Also, during the first ten days of the month of Ramadan, the Dubai Charity Association distributed 235,000 Iftar meals to fasting individuals within the UAE, including low-income workers, at a daily rate of 23,500 meals, and 28,000 meals outside the UAE at a daily rate of 2,800 meals, as part of its annual Ramadan initiative “Iftar for Fasting Individuals”.
In addition to the Iftar project, the number of beneficiaries of the “Ramadan Mir” project launched by Dubai Charity within the UAE reached 5,000 people, and outside the country, it reached 101,470 beneficiaries, with a cost of this project outside the UAE of about AED 4,062,000.
Inspiring Initiatives
Also, as this anniversary approaches, efforts continue tirelessly to implement the “Mohammed bin Zayed for Water” initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to address the urgent global challenge of water scarcity.
The initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of the water scarcity crisis and its global significance, alongside accelerating the development of innovative technological solutions to address it, in addition to testing the effectiveness of these solutions to confront this escalating global challenge.
Also, as the anniversary of “Zayed Humanitarian Work Day” approaches, people in the UAE and residents are rallying to support the “Mother Endowment” initiative launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the aim of honoring mothers in the UAE by establishing an endowment fund worth one billion dirhams to support the education of millions of individuals worldwide in a sustainable manner.
Support for Gaza
Within the latest ongoing humanitarian efforts to support the people of Gaza, the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defense announced the execution of the 17th “Birds of Goodness” airborne humanitarian and relief operation over the northern Gaza Strip.
The airdrops took place over isolated areas that are difficult to reach in the northern Gaza Strip using three Emirati and Egyptian aircraft carrying 79 tons of food and relief aid, bringing the total aid dropped since the launch of the “Birds of Goodness” operation to 743 tons.
These airdrops come a day after the largest humanitarian and relief airdrop operation over the northern Gaza Strip since its inception, totaling 90 tons.
On the same day, the Joint Operations Command at the Ministry of Defense announced the execution of a third joint humanitarian and food airdrop operation over the Gaza Strip by the UAE Air Force and the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
The total relief aid dropped by the UAE Air Force from Jordan to the Gaza Strip amounted to 34 tons of aid.
The “Birds of Goodness” operation, launched on February 28th to airdrop humanitarian and relief aid by UAE Air Force aircraft and Egyptian Air Force aircraft to Gaza as part of a series of initiatives, including “Operation Fares Al Shaham 3”, launched on November 5th, on the orders of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
These initiatives are part of about 14 UAE initiatives to support Gaza by land, sea, and air.
Yemen
From Gaza to Yemen, where the UAE Red Crescent continues to distribute hundreds of tons of Ramadan Mir supplies to residents of Hadramout province as part of an urgent humanitarian intervention plan, aiming to alleviate the suffering of residents and improve their living conditions, coinciding with the blessed month of Ramadan.
In this regard, during the first third of the blessed month of Ramadan, a team from the Red Crescent distributed 1,122 food baskets, benefiting 4,822 individuals, alongside cancer, thalassemia, and kidney failure patients in Al Mukalla, Khalifa City, and Hadramout.
These humanitarian convoys are being deployed in parallel with the holy month, as part of the UAE’s efforts and attention to various occasions, along with launching Iftar campaigns in main streets, poor neighborhoods, and needy families in Hadramout province, who expressed their gratitude to the UAE for its ongoing relief efforts for the province’s residents.
Two days ago, the UAE Red Crescent launched the first phase of the charitable bakeries support campaign in Al Mukalla, Ash Shihr, and Ghail Bawazir districts in Hadramout province, aiming to enhance food security and meet the needs of local residents.
Jordan and Syria
As part of its Ramadan programs in the Hashemite Kingdom, the organization continues to distribute Ramadan aid to needy families, while also designating several locations on the kingdom’s streets to distribute “Iftar for Fasting” meals.
Meanwhile, a UAE relief team distributed Ramadan aid to Syrian refugees at the Emirati-Jordanian camp in Marjeeb al-Fahood, in addition to a number of needy families in tents near the camp.
Ramadan aid packages were handed over to all refugees in the camp, totaling approximately 1,226 families, along with the distribution of Ramadan aid to about 60 families from needy families in tents outside the camp.
Pakistan and Indonesia
In Pakistan, the UAE Red Crescent continues to implement its Ramadan programs in the country, providing ongoing humanitarian support to the needy and destitute in various areas, helping them meet their families’ needs during the holy month.
The organization’s office in Pakistan executed a project to distribute 800 food baskets in Balochistan Province, covering areas such as Basni, Gawadar, and Panjgur, with the aim of alleviating the burden on financially struggling families in these areas, as part of the UAE’s goodwill and giving initiatives across the globe, under the enlightened directives of the leadership.
In Asia as well, the organization is providing 10,000 Iftar meals daily during the blessed month of Ramadan to fasting individuals at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Solo city, Indonesia.
Chad and Sudan
From Asia to Africa, the UAE recently dispatched its fifth plane carrying over 36 tons of humanitarian aid to Chad, bringing the total aid during the holy month of Ramadan to nearly 172 tons, containing more than 6,000 Ramadan baskets.
This is part of the Ramadan program overseen by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Works, targeting poor and needy families of Sudanese refugees in Chad, as well as the residents of Amdjarass and surrounding villages.
From Central Africa to its west, the UAE Embassy in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, distributed a number of Ramadan food baskets and Iftar meals to residents of the Aniama area, a suburb of Abidjan, in coordination with official entities and institutions in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
The beneficiaries from the Aniama area, numbering around 300 families, expressed their gratitude to the UAE for this initiative during the blessed month of Ramadan.
From Côte d’Ivoire to neighboring Burkina Faso, UAE’s humanitarian assistance continues in the month of generosity, as the Red Crescent Authority launched a project to distribute Ramadan food baskets for 2024 executed by the Humanitarian Mercy Organization, with support from benefactors in the UAE.
Ukraine
From Africa to Europe, the UAE continues its humanitarian efforts to support Ukrainian refugees affected by the ongoing war with Russia.
In its latest efforts, the UAE sent a plane carrying 50 tons of food supplies to Ukraine as part of ongoing relief support to the affected people in Ukraine to mitigate the adverse effects facing the friendly Ukrainian people.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the Presidency, said: “The UAE, under the directives of its wise leadership, reaffirms its commitment to assisting civilians affected in Ukraine.”
She noted that the holy month of Ramadan, a month of generosity and giving, provides an opportunity to provide assistance that expresses humanitarian solidarity and meets essential needs to alleviate human suffering, especially for the most needy categories.
Story of Zayed Day
Since the passing of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on November 2, 2004, corresponding to the 19th of Ramadan, 1425 H, the UAE, led by its leadership, government, and people, have been keen to commemorate this occasion by following in the footsteps of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in generosity and continuing charitable works.
To perpetuate the legacy of a leader who dedicated his life to the benefit of people and their welfare, and to sustain the charitable and humanitarian works he was keen to perpetuate, the UAE Cabinet, at its historic meeting held at the Union Palace during the celebration of the UAE’s 41st National Day in 2012, decided to designate the 19th of Ramadan of each year, the anniversary of the death of the nation’s founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as “Emirati Humanitarian Work Day”, in memory of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and in appreciation of his role in establishing the path of humanitarian generosity in the UAE and to immortalize the benevolent deeds of this humanitarian pioneer.
On July 28, 2013, corresponding to the 19th of Ramadan, 1434 H, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered the renaming of the “Emirati Humanitarian Work Day” to “Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work” in memory of the late great Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
This decision came during his patronage of the first celebration of “Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work” at the Dubai World Trade Center.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan himself attended an evening of tribute to Zayed the Good and Giving, held at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as part of the events of “Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work“.
He stated that this day would be “an annual milestone where we will pause to remember the humanitarian legacy of the founder and instill the values of goodness, sacrifice, and giving in the hearts of the new generations and plan a whole year of Emirati humanitarian action to establish the UAE as a global capital of charity and a major international hub for aiding the needy.”
This Emirati initiative has been met with welcome from the United Nations, internationally, and regionally, adding an important humanitarian event to the global agenda, in favor of the poor and needy worldwide.
The UAE has indeed become a global capital of charity, and today, thanks to the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, it ranks globally as the largest donor of foreign aid.
The “Zayed Day for Humanitarian Work” has become an annual occasion to celebrate the UAE’s achievements from the time of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to the present day in the field of humanitarian action, through aid provided to countries and peoples worldwide.
It has also become an annual date to announce many vital and qualitative humanitarian and charitable initiatives through hundreds of events organized by government, private, and civil institutions.
