Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum received today in attendance of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, a UN delegation comprising Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Pierre Krahenbuhl, Commissioner-General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Sheikh Mohammed and the UN top officials exchanged talks on the conditions of refugees in conflict zones and flash points around the world in general and in Gaza, Syria and Iraq in particular, and ways of provision of support and assistance to them as well as delivery mechanism of humanitarian assistance, mainly medical and food aid, to needy people without obstacles.

Sheikh Mohammed commended the role of the UN humanitarian organisations and agencies, notably UNRWA which delivers assistance to targeted groups despite the logistical challenges it faces in assuming its humanitarian and ethical mission. In this context, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid affirmed that the U.A.E. leadership, government, people and organisations would continue to provide all kinds of assistance and support to international organisations to help them pursue their role fully and positively, especially towards Palestinian, Syrian and Iraqi refugees and other refugees across the world.

For their part, the UNHCR and UNRWA commissioners highly valued the U.A.E. stances at all levels, which they said not only comes ahead of most countries in the humanitarian work but also stands as a world leader in terms of size of assistance, swift response to international humanitarian appeals or high professionalism of delivering assistance to affected areas and alleviating suffering of refugees, particularly children, the sick, elderly and wounded.

The UN top officials also praised the U.A.E.’s timely and prompt response and delivery of humanitarian assistance to refugees in the Gaza Strip including the field hospital and relief supplies which valued in the first days of the Israeli aggression on Gaza at around US$ 40 million, airlifted by 24 transport aircrafts in just 36 hours. They added that value of assistance provided by the U.A.E. to Syrian refugees, especially in Jordan, stood at US$ 360 million.

The UN representatives also appreciated the great role played by the Emirates Red Crescent under the presidency of H.H.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, and Dubai International Humanitarian City (IHC), led by HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai, who closely followed up the airlift and delivery of assistance to needy people, as well as provision of requirements of refugees and affected people in Gaza and other hot spots.

Present at the meeting were Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD), Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State, Mohamed Ibrahim Al Shaibni, Director General of the Ruler of Dubai’s Court, and Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Dubai Director of Protocol and Hospitality.