UAE Aid Reaches Conflict-affected Syria

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 23rd Jan, 2020) As part of its ongoing efforts to support the Syrian people, the UAE signed a cooperation agreement with ACTED, whereby the UAE will help fund humanitarian and relief assistance amounting to AED7.3 million (US$2 million).

The agreement is aimed at providing assistance to families in need, particularly distributing winterization assistance, including tents and emergency shelter items to recently displaced families, in addition to performing maintenance and renovation works in camps. Emergency repairs will also be undertaken in shelter units affected by the conflict.

Sultan Al Shamsi, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, said that the agreement is part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to provide aid to the Syrian people in conflict areas, in collaboration with international partners such as ACTED, whose technical capabilities enable it to effectively deliver aid to selected Syrian locations.

Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France to the UAE, welcomed the agreement as an example of French-Emirati cooperation in the humanitarian field, while thanking the UAE for its significant contribution. Ambassador Pouille highlighted the essential work carried out by skilled NGOs such as ACTED in areas where human lives are at stake.

Marie-Pierre Caley, ACTED CEO, said, "We welcome this generous assistance from the UAE. Such support will help us ensure that these Syrian families will be assisted during the harsh winter season. During this time of crisis, every Dollar contributed can have a life-saving impact."

The total UAE aid provided to Syria from 2012 to date has amounted to AED3.81 billion ($1.04 billion) across the humanitarian and development sectors and provided basic services in terms of education, health, housing and power supply, among others.

Furthermore, the UAE contributed AED183.7 million ($50 million) in support of re-stabilisation programmes in Syria in cooperation with international partners. One project, the rehabilitation of irrigation canals in Raqqa, directly benefited 135,000 Syrians and helped 30,000 indirect beneficiaries by enabling the irrigation of 13,899 hectares of farmland.

In Deir Al-Zour, 4,000 hectares of land was irrigated and restored, benefiting 60,000 Syrians. Basic support services will also be extended to cover daily operational costs, such as providing fuel, rebuilding the road to the National Hospital, repairing the power grid in Raqqa and water networks in Al Mansoura, removing debris, and renovating roads in dozens of locations across the Raqqa and Deir Al-Zour governorates.