Page 142 - UAE Foreign Aid Report 2022

United Arab Emirates
142
Foreign Aid Report 2022

Aid Allocation Overview

In 2022, the UAE’s foreign aid commitments, as In terms of execution, bilateral assistance to
reflected in this report, encompassed generous sovereign governments, which encapsulates
contributions from an array of UAE’s local and direct partnerships, formed the crux of
federal government bodies. In addition to The contributions, accounting for over half of the
Government of the United Arab Emirates, this 2022 UAE Government’s foreign assistance.
diverse list included prominent entities such as This substantial share highlights the emphasis
the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable the UAE places on collaborating directly with
Activities, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, beneficiary governments to achieve their unique
Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Ministry development priorities.
of Culture, Youth and Community Development,
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, AED 197.7 million (USD 53.8 million) was
Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, allocated for technical assistance, facilitating a
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Center of two-way flow of expertise and experience.
Meteorology, Sharjah Awqaf General Trust,
UAE Armed Forces, UAE-Pakistan Assistance Highlighting specific beneficiaries, Yemen,
Programme, and the UAE Relief Team. Ethiopia, and Palestine emerged as primary
recipients in 2022. Combined, they were
Collectively, these contributions, termed as ‘UAE the focus of nearly 60% of the total UAE
Government’ for the purposes of this report, Government foreign assistance. In the arena
amounted to a substantial AED 3.78 billion (USD of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the
1.03 billion), benefitting 43 countries and various UAE Government’s financial efforts were heavily
multi-country programmes in 2022. Consistent aligned with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals),
with its commitment to uplift the world’s most SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 2
vulnerable populations, nearly 59% of this aid (Zero Hunger), collectively comprising nearly 80%
(AED 2.23 billion or USD 607.4 million) was of the total 2022 disbursements aimed at global
funneled towards 15 Least Developed Countries developmental objectives.
(LDCs). Additionally, ten lower middle-income
nations and one low-income nation received Over the past half-decade, from 2018-2022,
significant aid, capturing 21% of the 2022 total, the UAE Government’s foreign aid portfolio,
which translates to AED 778.6 million (USD 212.0 amounting to AED 25.50 billion (USD 6.94 billion),
million). Four Small Island Developing States has primarily been structured as grants. A notable
(SIDS), with one being an LDC, were allocated deviation in 2022 was the support extended to
AED 3.6 million (USD 1.0 million), while the Yemen’s Central Bank, which took the form of a
remainder of the aid predominantly supported concessional loan.
other developing countries and multi-country
endeavours.

Analyzing the nature of the aid, development-
centric initiatives claimed 74% of the UAE
Government’s foreign aid, with another quarter
directed towards global humanitarian and
emergency relief efforts, while a smaller fraction
was set aside for charitable endeavors.