BEIRUT, 12th April, 2018 (WAM) -- Around 143,000 people have benefitted from the UAE Response Campaign for Displaced Syrians - Winter 2018 Lebanon, which provided 3,750 heaters, 109,000 food packages, and 30,250 pieces of winter clothes, shoes and blankets.
The campaignm took place in partnership with several UAE donor bodies, including the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, Al Rahmah for Charity, and Sharjah Charity International.
The campaign is part of the Year of Zayed initiative launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which targets remote and marginalised areas and those in dire need in the north and south of Lebanon, to provide relief for the families during winter while assisting the Lebanese government in dealing with Syrian refugees.
Hamad Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Lebanon, said that with the end of the campaign, which began at the end of January, to assist those in need during the harsh winter, the number of beneficiaries reached around 143,000 individuals from various Lebanese areas, and the UAE’s assistance is distinguished as it included displaced Syrians, Palestinian refugees and local Lebanese.
He also highlighted the current arrangements to prepare a new campaign to provide Iftar meals during the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr clothes while praising the efforts of the campaign’s partners, who contributed to its success, whether they were UAE donor or Lebanese institutions that implemented the campaign.
Dr. Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the ERC, stated that the UAE’s humanitarian initiatives to help Syrian refugees reflect the country's concern about their well-being and its desire to improve their conditions and ease their suffering. These initiatives also provided care for the refugees, he added.
He explained that the campaign aims to strengthen the UAE’s development and humanitarian role and the performance of its humanitarian organisations, to limit the effect of the exodus of millions of Syrians, and comes in consolidation of the country’s overall position regarding refugees and its constant efforts to provide better conditions for them and their families. He also noted that the ERC has intensified its programmes since the start of winter to assist refugees in Lebanese cities and governorates, which coincided with the increasing level of displacement from Syria to Lebanon.
Mohammed Haji Al Khouri, Director-General of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, said that, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the direct monitoring of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the UAE has performed an active international role in supporting and assisting refugees in the various countries, which are suffering from unrest and instability.
He also pointed out that the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has helped those who were forced to leave their homes and seek asylum in other areas to search for security and stability while highlighting its key international humanitarian efforts to solve the worsening refugee crises from the start of 2017, with the number of refugees reaching 22.5 million, according to the United Nations statistics.
WAM/Tariq alfaham/Hatem Mohamed