H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has reiterated the UAE’s humanitarian responsibility towards those affected by the desperate humanitarian conditions in Somalia, as per the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

In his statement, while issuing an ERC report that includes its humanitarian and development efforts spanning over two decades in Somalia, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed said that the coming period will witness the launch of many programmes and projects, to fulfil the actual needs of those affected in the country.

The ERC has conducted consecutive campaigns over many years, with the aim of countering famine and poverty in the countries of the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, he added.

He also stressed that the ERC has strengthened its presence in Somalia, through the implementation of development projects that aim to improve the level of basic services in the areas of health, education and other services, as well as projects to provide clean drinking water, especially as Somalia has witnessed prolonged periods of drought and desertification, which have led to increased displacement inside the country and migration to neighbouring countries facing similar issues.

Regarding the health sector, Sheikh Hamdan pointed out that the ERC has established many field clinics that contributed to improving the health situation of those displaced. It has also dug hundreds of wells to provide water and assisted environmental protection operations, to prevent diseases and epidemics that thrive in such conditions, he added.

The monetary value of the ERC’s humanitarian and development programmes in Somalia between 1993 and 2017 has reached over AED350.5 million and the value of its construction and development projected has reached over AED 82.6 million.

It has also contributed AED 20,250,303 to seasonal projects, over AED 80.1 million to orphanages and over AED10.7 million to other assistance projects while AED 32.1 million has been allocated to several development projects that are currently being implemented in several vital sectors, as part of the "For Your Sake Somalia" campaign that was recently launched by the ERC.

The ERC is continuing its development initiatives in Somalia and is currently implementing the first phase of its proposed development projects in many vital sectors, as part of the Year of Giving in the UAE, including the construction of 100 residential units, a mosque and a commercial market worth AED 5.7 million, as well as the construction on three floodwater dams to collect and utilise rainwater during droughts worth AED 4.4 million. It also plans to dig 20 artesian wells worth AED 10.6 million, build two orphanages worth AED 2.8 million, establish 3 fodder farms for livestock breeding worth AED 3.6 million, and provide medical supplies for vaccinations against diseases and epidemics worth AED5 million.