His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced The Year In Review report for 2022 of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) was presented at a special ceremony held at Dubai Opera.
As the biggest foundation in the regional domain of charity, aid, and humanitarian work, MBRGI expended AED 1.4B in 2022, enhancing the lives of 102 million individuals worldwide. These statistics indicate an increase of 11 million beneficiaries from the previous year and an expansion of the foundation’s reach to 100 countries, which is three more than in 2021. These results further demonstrate MBRGI’s prominence as the leading regional network of development efforts, aid, and humanitarian support.
The special ceremony was attended by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MBRGI, H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman & Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council, and H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Hamad Al Sharqi, alongside ministers and senior officials.
During the ceremony, there was a presentation of MBRGI’s accomplishments in the preceding year, as well as news about the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” initiative and recognition for significant contributors to the campaign, according to WAM.
The ceremony was preceded by a meeting for MBRGI’s Board of Trustees at the Dubai Opera, presided over by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and attended by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid; H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum; Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid; Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid, H.E. Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of MBRGI, H.E. Reem Al Hashimy; Chairperson of Dubai Cares; H.E. Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai; H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award’, H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Foundation (Suqia UAE), H.H. Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation; H.E. Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Noor Dubai Foundation, H.E. Dawoud Al Hajri, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the UAE Food Bank, H.E. Mona Ghanem Al Merri, President of the Dubai Press Club and Secretary-General of the Arab Journalism Award, and H.E. Saeed AlEter, Assistant Secretary-General of MBRGI.
Ongoing Generosity
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “The UAE continues to establish its humanitarian role, actively contributing to creating a better life for millions of people. The UAE has opted for creating hope and building lives.”
“Alleviating the suffering of fellow humans, regardless of their origin, ethnicity comes first and foremost, and is part of our moral duty. Our initiatives and projects made a tangible difference in the lives of 102 million people across 100 countries, who have become a part of the UAE story, of which we are all proud. We continue to be devoted to humanitarian work, and to upholding our Emirati values.”
A Beacon for Humanity
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed stressed that MBRGI plays a vital role in establishing the culture of giving and generosity, promoting and expanding its reach locally, regionally and globally. “MBRGI’s achievements are the result of an institutional framework and group efforts throughout the year, thanks to the dedication of its teams and tens of thousands of volunteers, all implementing the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.”
“The humanitarian drive led by Mohammed bin Rashid is part of his vision for leadership through highlighting the importance of humanitarian efforts in the UAE community for generations to come. The UAE will continue to extend help for those in need, and be a beacon for humanity,” he added.
Qualitative Projects
For his part, Al Gergawi said, “Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives set a new record achievement by reaching 102 million people in 100 countries, in a true reflection of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s philosophy for humanitarian work based on qualitative, sustainable projects.”
“Despite global challenges, MBRGI continues to expand its scope and increase spending, which is evident as the Foundation increased its spending by AED 300M in 2022 compared to 2021, enabling us to improve the lives of millions in the fields of education, work and healthcare,” he added.
MBRGI was able to enhance its operational efficiency and resource optimization in 2022, resulting in an increase in the number of beneficiaries and countries it served within a year. Alongside its 847-member team, MBRGI also drew in a record-breaking number of volunteers, 150,266 in total, surpassing the previous year’s count by 5,330 volunteers.
These volunteers played a crucial role in executing numerous initiatives and campaigns in MBRGI’s five principal areas: Humanitarian Aid and Relief, Healthcare and Disease Control, Education and Knowledge Promotion, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Community Empowerment.
Under the Humanitarian Aid and Relief pillar, MBRGI’s initiatives and projects benefitted 30.2 million people in 2022, representing an increase of 7.3 million people compared to 2021. The spending on these programs increased to AED 910M in 2022, which is AED 493M higher than in 2021. The International Humanitarian City, UAE Food Bank, Mohammed bin Rashid Humanitarian and Charity Foundation, Suqia, and Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy are the institutions operating under this pillar. They implemented a range of projects such as food aid campaigns, winter clothes support drive, urgent relief aid for victims of wars and natural disasters, school building projects, student support campaigns, housing projects for the poor, clean water projects, and an endowment initiative.
MBRGI’s Healthcare and Disease Control projects spent AED 42.5M in 2022, benefiting 9.4 million people. Noor Dubai and Al Jalila Foundation are the institutions operating under this pillar. Al Jalila Foundation launched the first robotic biobank in the UAE in 2022, which will open in 2023 and will be a crucial resource for local research into genetic disorders, cancer, epidemics, and other chronic diseases. Meanwhile, Noor Dubai continued to make a sustainable impact through preventive and educational campaigns aimed at eradicating the causes of blindness and vision impairment in underprivileged communities. Noor Dubai’s other projects included a national outreach program to treat UAE residents with limited financial capability and who are suffering from critical eye diseases, mobile eye clinics, and a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) program providing the antibiotic Zithromax to 9,142,612 people and training 15,000 public health workers on treatment regimens to combat trachoma.
MBRGI’s Spreading Education and Knowledge projects reached a record 55.1 million beneficiaries in 2022, which is an increase of 6.7 million from 2021. The Foundation spent AED 213M on knowledge and education programs. MBRGI implements a variety of education and knowledge initiatives regionally and globally, building the capacities of everyone involved in the education journey, from students to teachers and administrators. The Foundation aims to establish innovative e-learning platforms that keep up with modern educational curricula and global technological developments, reflecting the importance MBRGI places on education as a key to advancing societies.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
In 2022, MBRGI’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship pillar spent AED 128M to implement projects and initiatives, benefiting 4.6 million people, which is an increase from 2.9 million in 2021. The pillar aims to support a knowledge-based economy and stimulate the emergence of new sectors. Notable achievements included the establishment of Concept Plus, a digital technology SMEs incubator, the launch of a new edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Water Award, which encourages research on clean water scarcity solutions, and over a million participations in Dubai Future Foundation’s One Million Arab Coders Initiative. The Museum of the Future, a global symbol of advancement based in Dubai, also opened its doors and received over a million visitors from 163 countries during its first year, including international government officials and experts, heads of state, and official delegations.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development extended its services to 3,126 entrepreneurs and 2,210 start-ups in 2022, serving Emirati entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Empowering Communities
In 2022, MBRGI’s Empowering Communities pillar spent AED 95.1M on community empowerment projects and initiatives, benefitting 2.3 million people, which is an increase from 2.1 million people in 2021. Institutions working under this pillar include the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, the Arab Media Forum, the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit, the Dubai International Sports Conference, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, the Arab Strategy Forum, the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, and the Arab Hope Makers.
