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DUBAI / WAM
In implementation of the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and as a follow-up from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the UAE is contributing AED36.7 million (US$10 million) to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help accelerate the stabilisation of areas newly liberated from Daesh in Iraq.
The UAE contribution will be allocated to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), and will be used to rehabilitate civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. Also, the project will support community development initiatives.
Speaking after the signing of the agreement, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said, “The UAE believes in the importance of bringing stabilisation, peace and prosperity to the Iraqi people, especially those who have been affected by violence and terrorism. We look forward to working with UNDP and seeing improvements in the lives of Iraqi families returning to their liberated home areas.”
UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, said during the signing ceremony today in Abu Dhabi, “Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are ready to return home to newly liberated areas. This generous contribution will allow us to quickly improve conditions in key cities, including Ramadi, where many neighbourhoods have been extensively damaged. We are hugely grateful to the United Arab Emirates for extending this support to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.”
Established in June 2015, FFIS is currently working in nine newly liberated areas in Anbar, Salah al-Din, Ninewah and Diyala Governorates. FFIS has also begun work in Ramadi, where widespread destruction and contamination of booby-traps have slowed stabilisation and the return of displaced families.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UAE’s aid to Iraq from 2011-2016 has reached nearly AED550.5 million (US$150 million), which was allocated for public programmes, humanitarian aid, emergency relief, education, health, social services and other sectors.
The aid was also used to establish camps for displaced Iraqis, build a hospital, as well as 11 schools for boys and girls, to support the education of displaced Iraqi children.
