Page 105 - UAE Foreign Aid Report 2022

Section 04
105
Geographical Focus of UAE Assistance

03 Health

In 2022, the UAE’s foreign assistance demonstrated significant emphasis on health, with the health sector being
the third-most funded sector among the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), tailing closely behind Commodity Aid.
This assistance, which represented 16% of the UAE’s total contributions to the LDCs for 2022, stood at AED 527.2
million (USD 143.5 million). This aid was dispersed across 24 LDCs and was entirely distributed as grants.

04 COVID-19 Control

COVID-19 control absorbed a notable 42% of the LDCs’ health sector’s aid, spotlighting the UAE’s commitment to
the global fight against the pandemic. Ethiopia was a primary beneficiary, receiving more than 2 million COVID-19
vaccine doses.

05 Emergency Health

A total of AED 188.4 million (USD 51.3 million) was allocated for emergency health projects in four LDCs during
2022. Liberia, facing a health crisis due to the pandemic, was the primary recipient, with the UAE earmarking AED
73.5 million (USD 20.0 million) for the nation. This allocation was materialized in the form of a large-scale hospital
in Gbarpolu County, spanning 80,000 square meters, featuring 125 beds.

In 2022, when an earthquake wreaked havoc in Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost provinces, the UAE swiftly
disbursed AED 55.1 million (USD 15.0 million). In addition to medical personnel, medical equipment, supplies and
life-saving medicines, the UAE dispatched a mobile hospital with a footprint of 1,000 sqm, equipped with 75 beds
and two state-of-the-art operating rooms, to aid earthquake victims. In Ethiopia, more than 180 tons of medicines,
medical equipment and medical supplies were delivered. In Yemen, various emergency health projects have been
implemented.

06 Medical Services and Basic Health Infrastructure

With a keen understanding that a resilient health system rests on robust infrastructure and services, the UAE
dedicated AED 77.2 million (USD 21.0 million) towards enhancing medical services, access to healthcare, and
establishing basic health facilities to 23 LDCs in this sector. Notably, 64% of this fund was allocated to Sudan and
Yemen, nations grappling with significant health challenges.

A myriad of initiatives was undertaken, including the construction and equipping of health facilities in Benin,
Chad, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, and Tanzania. Beyond health infrastructure
development, these nations, and others among the 23 LDCs, gained access to vital medical services, surgeries,