UAE JOINS UN OCHA DONOR SUPPORT GROUP (ODSG); UAE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002248

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT PASS TO USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM KPAL IZ AF AE
SUBJECT: UAE JOINS UN OCHA DONOR SUPPORT GROUP (ODSG); UAE
ASSISTANCE PROFILE

REF: A. 04 ABU DHABI 4218

B. 05 ABU DHABI 3266


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Already a regional leader in humanitarian
assistance, the UAE announced at a May 9 conference in Abu
Dhabi its decision to become the 20th member and the first
non-Western country to join the UN Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Donor Support Group (ODSG). USAID
Conference Chairman welcomed the announcement, highlighting
the "diversity" represented by UAE membership. Message
profiles UAE international assistance in Iraq, Afghanistan,
and Palestinian Territories primarily through the UAE Red
Crescent Society, Sheikh Zayed Foundation, UAE President,s
Office, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Foundation (Dubai),and the
Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Agriculture. END
SUMMARY.

2.(SBU) The UAE, already a regional leader in humanitarian
assistance, announced on May 9 that it has become the first
non-Western country to join the UN Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Donor Support Group (ODSG). At
the conclusion of the Regional Partnerships in Humanitarian
Response UN OCHA Conference on May 9 in Abu Dhabi, UAE Red
Crescent Board Chairman Khalifa Nasser Al Suweidi announced
that the UAE would become the 20th member of the ODSG. USAID
Conference Chairman William Garvelink warmly welcomed the
announcement, highlighting the "diversity" and "value added"
of UAE membership. In addition to the UAE and U.S.,
conference attendees included OCHA officials from Geneva and
Dubai Regional Office and representatives from Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland and the
United Kingdom. As a result of joining ODSG, the UAE was
invited to participate in the late May ODSG meeting in
Washington.


3. (SBU) The Red Crescent was instrumental in securing UAEG
commitment to join the ODSG. It was the Red Crescent that
initially developed the proposal to join ODSG and advocated
that the announcement be made at the OCHA conference. Red
Crescent Secretary General Sana'a Derwish al-Kitbi told
econoff on May 8 that she had discussed the issue personally
with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan and
Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahyan (who also
serves as the President of the Red Crescent). Although the
Red Crescent considers itself an independent authority, the
UAEG frequently relies upon the Red Crescent to represent the
government (for example, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
designated the UAE Red Crescent to host and coordinate the
OCHA conference on behalf of the UAEG). The UAE's leaders
trust the Red Crescent to be one of the mechanisms through
which the UAEG channels its humanitarian aid, and the Red
Crescent clearly has influence in, and connections to, the
UAEG. Thus the Red Crescent is more accurately described as
a quasi-governmental organization than an independent
authority.


4. (SBU) In his introductory remarks thanking UN and US
officials for planning the conference, UAE Red Crescent Board
Chairman al-Suweidi stressed the need for better organization
in order "to reduce and eliminate human suffering" and also
focused on the importance of coordination in delivering
humanitarian assistance. He referred specifically to UAE
help for Africa, Pakistan, Darfur, and the Tsunami victims,
but did not mention UAE,s $100 million contribution to
Hurricane Katrina relief. (DCM, attending conference, made a
point of publicly thanking the UAE for its generous gift.)
With regard to the Consolidated Appeal for the Horn of Africa
launched by OCHA, al-Suweidi lamented the extremely low five
(5) percent donation response rate and called for more
governmental and NGO efforts to assist countries in the Horn
of Africa. He stated that the UAE was following all
developments in the assistance arena very closely and would
not hesitate to participate in international programs.



5. (SBU) The UAE is a major aid donor. As a result of its
ODSG membership, the UAE may send more of its humanitarian
assistance via UN mechanisms. However, Embassy anticipates
that the UAEG will continue to channel humanitarian aid
through multiple avenues and maintain its preference for
providing bilateral assistance. Historically, the UAE sends
charitable contributions via quasi-governmental charities
like the Red Crescent Society, the Mohammed bin Rashid
Foundation in Dubai, and the Sheikh Zayed Foundation in Abu
Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Government also funds the Abu Dhabi
Fund for Development, which disburses grants and loans to
needy governments for specific project development. In
addition, the UAE sometimes chooses to fund specific projects
directly. For example, in 2005, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
announced that it would fund a $100 million housing complex
in Gaza for 30,000-40,000 displaced Palestinians. As opposed
to channeling this project through an aid organization,
implementation has been through the Abu Dhabi Department of
Municipalities and Agriculture.


6. (U) Below is a sampling of humanitarian assistance
provided by UAE agencies and or charitable foundations via
various aid mechanisms. (Note: These numbers do not
represent the sum total of UAE international assistance.
They are, however, a sampling of the projects and programs
drawn from annual reports, meetings with officials of the aid
organizations, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ref B.
End note.)

-- UAE Red Crescent Society (2005)
* Iraq: $4,884,741 for shelter, medicine,
medical supplies, food, etc.
* Afghanistan: $4,039,782 for medicine,
medical supplies, shelter, food, etc.
* Palestinian Territories: $9,705,449

-- Sheikh Zayed Foundation (2003-2005)
* Iraq: $1,279,995 for emergency relief

-- Office of the President of the UAE
(2003-2005)
* Iraq: $2,452,491 for emergency relief,
cash

-- Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and
Agriculture (2005)
* Palestinian Territories: $100 million
for housing complex.

-- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation
(2003-2005)
* Iraq: $95,290 for emergency relief
SISON