Mansour bin Zayed: Zayed Humanitarian Day celebrations will remain a key event in U.A.E.'s humanitarian agenda

The Zayed Humanitarian Day has become a key national event in the U.A.E.'s annual calendar of humanitarian work and a launch pad for local and international humanitarian and charitable initiatives thanks to the incessant support given by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces, to the humanitarian work, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Chairman of Khalifa bin Zayed Foundation (KF), said today.

 

Speaking at a special event organised by the Foundation at the Emirates Palace to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mansour paid a glowing tributes to all those who launched humanitarian initiatives that enriched the Zayed Humanitarian Day activities. He said that he was optimistic about broader engagement of government and non-government entities as well as individuals of both sex and of all ages in the humanitarian work.

 

By this approach, he added, the humanitarian work will become a lifestyle and that the U.A.E. community will then transform into an excellent philanthropic community whose members that support each other and race to serve their community and nation.

 

The evening was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Co-operation, Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Ahmed Juma Al Za'abi, Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs, and a number of heads of local government departments.

 

Ahmed Juma Al Za'abi, Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs, and Deputy Chairman of KF, in his address to the audience, said :'' The glorious Day exhales a pleasant fragrance of humanity and loyalty to Sheikh Zayed: the man of giving.'' He added that the Day, which sees the launch of many humanitarian initiatives, represents a true embodiment of Sheikh Zayed's humanitarian approach, being cherished by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

 

He went on to say that the Khalifa Foundation was a fruit of Sheikh Zayed's humanitarian legacy, adding that its humanitarian and development projects had reached to 70 countries in just eight years. ''It is no wonder for the U.A.E. which ranked as the world's largest donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).'' He affirmed the Khalifa Foundation's full readiness to implement the leadership's directives to respond to the needs and requirements of the needy people anywhere in the world.

 

''Sheikh Zayed has taught us that charity has no boundaries,'' he concluded. 

On this occasion, Sheikh Masnour was presented with a collection of stamps issued to mark the Day. He then unveil the plaque on a model design of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan mosque in Oxford, UK. He also watched a documentary on the history of humanitarian work of the U.A.E.