Abu Dhabi 27 November 2014: The UAE Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD) signed an agreement today with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to support the UNICEF Ebola Outbreak Response through providing the necessary humanitarian assistance.
The Agreements were signed by HE Hazza Mohammad Falah Al Qahtani, the Undersecretary of MICAD and Dr. Ibrahim El-Ziq, UNICEF Gulf Area Representative in MICAD’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi with the presence of HE Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of MICAD. According to the agreement the UAE will provide an amount of AED 18.4 million (US$ 5 million) to support UNICEF in fighting Ebola in the severely hit West African nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone with a focus on the direct and indirect risk to children.
The UAE’s contribution, which was announced on 2nd October, will support a number of key interventions in the fight against Ebola. These activities include community awareness campaigns focusing on changing behaviors that can drive the transmission, nutritional care for Ebola affected people, support for orphaned children and training teachers on prevention in schools. The agreement will be implemented over a period of six months and will benefit around 150,000 people across the three affected countries.
In commenting on this agreement HE Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of MICAD said: “The UAE is keen to work with international organizations in the fight against Ebola to ensure that these countries can be declared free soon. We must ensure that everything we do now is not just with the aim of ending the outbreak, but to ensure that we come out with a stronger and efficient healthcare system that will be capable of containing any future outbreak of the infectious disease.”
“Ebola is an unprecedented public health emergency that is having a dramatic impact on children’s lives, as schools are being closed, children are being orphaned and health facilities are under tremendous strain”, said Dr. Ibrahim El Ziq, UNICEF Gulf Area Representative. ”The UAE has been a staunch supporter of UNICEF’s work for children in many parts of the world. This latest contribution comes at a critical time as we are seeing signs of hope as new cases have stopped appearing in some countries and it is absolutely crucial to continue to push forward with our work to be able to win the battle against this disease”
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Notes to the Editor:
For further information about the Ebola outbreak please check the following link: http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/ebola/
About MICAD:
MICAD was established on 12 March 2013 following a Cabinet decision endorsed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid al Qasimi was appointed as Minister. The Ministry is based in Abu Dhabi with a branch office in Dubai. For further information please visit: www.micad.gov.ae
About UNICEF:
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
For further information, please contact:
MICAD media contact:
Fadwa Qourah Hadeed, Department of Communications and International Relations, Tel: +971 2 6544434, Fadwa.hadeed@micad.gov.ae
UNICEF media contact:
Soha Ellaithy, UNICEF Gulf Area Office, Tel: +971 4 3680705, Mob: +971 50 9166295,
sellaithy@unicef.org