UAE cements global humanitarian leadership, expands relief reach in 2025

The United Arab Emirates solidified its position as a global humanitarian leader in 2025, ranking as the world’s third-largest aid donor with $1.46 billion in contributions, according to OCHA's Financial Tracking Service data.

In 2025, the UAE announced a substantial pledge of $550 million to support the UN's Global Humanitarian Overview, which aims to raise $33 billion in 2026 to support approximately 135 million people.

In Gaza, the UAE provided more than Dhs9.4 billion in assistance by December, including over 100,000 tonnes of supplies and two million gallons of water, and evacuated 3,000 patients and their accompanying relatives for treatment in the UAE. The UAE's field hospital in Gaza treated around 54,000 cases, while its floating hospital in Al Arish treated more than 21,000.

Support for Sudan totalled $784 million since 2023, bringing the UAE’s assistance to the country to $4.24 billion between 2015 and 2025.

In Yemen, the UAE committed $1 billion to the country's energy sector, including renewable power plants in Aden and Shabwa designed to serve over a million homes. It also provided relief aid, including Ramadan meals, flood assistance for 960 families, food distributions and education support, as well as a WHO-backed initiative in Socotra to combat malnutrition.

In Ukraine, the UAE said its mediation efforts facilitated the exchange of 4,641 prisoners, while its aid agency signed a $4.5 million agreement to develop orphanage care centres.

The UAE also provided emergency aid to countries affected by floods and other crises, including 700 tonnes of food supplies to Somalia, more than 1,000 tonnes to Chad to assist 150,000 flood victims, and winter relief campaigns in Albania and Bangladesh.

Specialised UAE relief teams supported humanitarian efforts in Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and pledged $10 million to help countries across Asia and the Pacific respond to natural disasters.

Beyond emergency aid, the UAE signed an agreement to build a fully integrated eye hospital in Uganda, at a cost of $20 million, and allocated a $64.5 million grant to support Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. It also signed an agreement to build the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Hospital and a dialysis centre in N’Djamena, Chad.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives pledged Dhs36.7 million to UNHCR programmes supporting displaced communities, while the UAE's Digital School, in partnership with the ATAYA Initiative, launched "Skills Academies” to train five million young people in Africa in labour market skills.

The UAE also launched major domestic endowment campaigns, including the "Father’s Endowment” initiative, and an UAE Food Bank partnership with the "Ne’ma” programme to provide one million meals from surplus food, and unveiled the Dhs4.7 billion Mohammed bin Rashid Endowment District, described as the region’s first integrated endowment community.

WAM