Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, met David Muldrow Beasley, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, on Monday and reviewed the crucial role played by humanitarian and charity organisations in providing aid to the underprivileged nations to overcome the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and David Muldrow Beasley met at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

During the meeting, they discussed the difficulties faced by poor and underprivileged people in various countries across the globe due to the pandemic crisis. They also addressed the challenges people are encountering to meet their basic needs for food and medical supplies.

Beasley lauded the paramount humanitarian efforts taken by the UAE and its leadership with the help of its charity and humanitarian organisations to help the needy and deprived people across the world. The UAE has played a crucial humanitarian role to support the needs of the underprivileged across the world without any discrimination, particularly in the third world and African nations.

In this regard, the top UN official also underlined the numerous humanitarian missions carried out by Dubai's International Humanitarian City to provide necessary food and medical supplies through airlifts and land bridges even as the pandemic crisis disrupted the movement of transportation and deteriorated traffic conditions.

Beasley hailed the exceptional efforts of Sheikh Mohammed to personally follow-up all noble humanitarian missions. He stated that Sheikh Mohammed's efforts truly reflect the genuine humanitarian values upheld by the UAE, its leadership, government and Emirati people.

In particular, he highlighted the significant role played by Dubai and the UAE in general as significant logistics hub that helped in streamlining the provision of humanitarian assistance across various countries amid the pandemic circumstances.

The meeting was also attended by Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Cabinet Member and Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Director General of Dubai's Protocol Department Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, and Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation.

WAM