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ABU DHABI / WAM
The UAE has been named the world’s largest donor of development assistance in proportion to its gross national income for the fifth year running, according to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development.
The UAE exceeded the United Nations’ target of 0.7 percent official development assistance in proportion to its GNI ratio by donating AED19.32 billion, a growth of 18.1 percent over 2016, representing 1.31 percent of its GNI for official development assistance in 2017. Up to 54 percent of the value of the aid is non refundable grants that are aimed at supporting the developmental plans of the beneficiaries, which totalled 147 countries, 40 of which are among the least developing in different world countries. Asia got AED8.28 billion, or 43 percent of the development aid, followed by Africa which got AED5.44 billion or 28 percent of the support. Yemen got the lion’s share of aid in Asia, receiving AED2.97 billion, which accounts for around one third of the aid channeled to the Asian nations.
More than 94 percent of the support is development aid worth AED18.3 billion.