Page 111 - UAE Foreign Aid Report 2022

Section 04
111
Geographical Focus of UAE Assistance

03 Health

The health sector of SIDS also received funding from healthcare workers, shipping medical equipment,
the UAE in 2022, with AED 19.5 million (USD 5.3 medical supplies and maintenance of health facilities.
million) in disbursements for Comoros, Mauritius and In Comoros, in addition to these, the UAE provided
Seychelles. This funding enabled the construction of funding to two dialysis centers and one health facility
hospitals and clinics, funding the operational costs specializing in mothers and children.
of health facilities, including salaries of doctors and

04 Air Transport Infrastructure
aid towards the augmentation of two key airports - the
Given the geographical dispersion of the Maldives
Velana International Airport in Malé and Manafaru’s
across 188 islands, efficient mobility becomes
international airport in Noonu Atoll.
paramount. With tourism as its primary economic
backbone, the UAE furthered its recurrent financial

05 Biodiversity

SIDS often lean heavily on biodiversity, not just undertook 12 biodiversity-centric projects in 7 SIDS,
economically - given the dominance of tourism and championing the conservation of endangered species.
fisheries - but also culturally, recognizing its inherent This includes the Giant Otter in Suriname, the Vanuatu
aesthetic and spiritual significance. Biodiversity Petrel in Vanuatu - a bird species with a population just
offers multifaceted advantages: food supply, water in the hundreds - and the unique Central American river
purification, erosion control, and safeguarding against turtle, or ‘hicatee’, in Belize.
natural calamities. Recognizing its pivotal role, the UAE

Commitments

Building on its robust legacy of supporting Small million) aimed at underpinning a myriad of development
Island Developing States (SIDS), the UAE has charted projects in Caravella Island. The momentum is further
an ambitious future trajectory with significant pledges. carried to the Maldives where the UAE, in its continued
Committing grants in 2022 amounting to AED 569.3 commitment, has allocated AED 367.3 million (USD
million (USD 155.0 million), the UAE hopes to make 100.0 million). This investment is earmarked for
lasting impacts in both Guinea Bissau and the Maldives. the construction and augmentation of Manafaru’s
Guinea Bissau, which also falls under the category international airport in Noonu Atoll, signifying the
of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), will witness a UAE’s strategic emphasis on bolstering connectivity
transformative surge with AED 202.0 million (USD 55.0 and infrastructure in these island nations.