UAE marks International Day of Charity Friday

Charitable work in the UAE is a deeply rooted tradition and a firmly established social value since the Union’s foundation, as the country has consistently supported those in need, provided relief to victims of disasters, and fostered solidarity and human cooperation with nations and peoples during catastrophes, crises, wars and conflicts.

In line with the Ninth Principle of the Principles of the 50, which stipulates that the UAE’s foreign humanitarian aid is an essential part of its vision and moral duty towards less fortunate peoples, the value of the country’s foreign aid until mid-2024 exceeded AED360 billion (US$98 billion).

This year’s occasion comes as the UAE leads international efforts to assist the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip via “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3”. The UAE also continues to provide humanitarian and relief support to the Sudanese people, with aid exceeding US$3.5 billion over the past ten years. Meanwhile, the total number of beneficiaries of the UAE humanitarian and relief aid to the people of Ukraine reached more than 1.2 million by last February.

In terms of natural disaster relief, the UAE provided aid to the Republic of Chad in January 2025, which included 30,000 food baskets and more than 20,000 blankets, to help mitigate the impact of floods in several areas of the country. The UAE also sent 700 tonnes of urgent food supplies to flood-affected areas in Somalia and dispatched urgent humanitarian aid to Myanmar to support nearly 80,000 people affected by the earthquake in the country.

On 1st September, the UAE announced the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to 960 families affected by the floods that swept across areas of Yemen’s West Coast. The aid included shelter tents, food supplies, and essential relief items to support the affected families, helping them cope with difficult living conditions and alleviating their suffering in these challenging circumstances.

Furthermore, the UAE Aid Agency and the Government of Chad signed an agreement to build the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Hospital and a dialysis centre in the capital, N'Djamena, aimed at providing advanced health services and therapeutic care for dialysis patients.

This year has also seen the launch of several humanitarian initiatives with global impact, such as the Fathers’ Endowment campaign, part of whose proceeds will go towards providing healthcare and treatment for the underprivileged and supporting health systems in less fortunate communities by developing hospitals and securing medicines.