Page 47 - UAE Foreign Aid Report 2022

Section 02
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UAE Support towards SDGs and its Sectors of Assistance

Global Progress of SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global
partnerships for sustainable development

Many developing countries are struggling to recover from the pandemic despite a record-high level of official
development assistance (ODA) and a strong rebound in global foreign direct investment (FDI) and remittance
flows. Among other challenges, developing countries are battling record inflation, rising interest rates and looming
debt burdens. With competing priorities and limited fiscal space, many are finding it harder than ever to recover
economically. With the pandemic far from over and stark disparities in vaccine distribution among countries, there
is also the threat of a “two-tiered” COVID-19 recovery. To build back better from the pandemic and rescue the
Sustainable Development Goals, a full-scale transformation of the international financial and debt architecture
will be required. The world is facing a multitude of crises across the social, health, environmental, and peace and
security spectrums. To find lasting solutions, international cooperation must be scaled up – urgently. To stay ahead
of crises, significantly more investment in data and statistics will be necessary.
Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022

In 2022, the United Arab Emirates considerably enhanced its commitment to Sustainable Development
Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), demonstrating this through a significant 66% increase in
disbursements from AED 3.91 billion (USD 1.07 billion) in 2021 to AED 6.49 billion (USD 1.77 billion) in
2022. Half of UAE’s disbursements in 2022 was provided in support of this goal, making SDG 17 the
UAE’s most supported global goal in 2022.

01 General Budget Support

A substantial majority of the assistance for SDG 17 was delivered through bilateral partnerships. This
support, in the form of budgetary assistance amounting to AED 6.10 billion (USD 1.66 billion), was
extended to five countries, including two Least Developed Countries (LDCs). By supporting these
nations’ general budgets, the UAE is providing crucial financial stability, which can accelerate progress
across all SDGs.

02 Public Sector Policy and Administration

The remaining disbursements to SDG 17 in 2022 were allocated to the public sector policy and
administrative sectors across 15 countries, including 3 LDCs. These funds valued at AED 184.9
million (USD 50.3 million) were primarily directed towards capacity-building programs with a focus
on strengthening and improving government services. Key areas of focus included raising operational
efficiency, fostering government innovation, accelerating government initiatives, and promoting future
foresight.