UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has backed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s efforts to provide support for OIC member states in line with the humanitarian principles and teachings of Islam.
This came in a message sent by the Foreign Minister to OIC Secretary-General Yousef Al-Othaimeen.
Sheikh Abdullah sent a similar message to Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, underscoring the UAE's support for all Arab nations in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also hailed the organization’s role in coordinating pan-Arab efforts to confront the health crisis.
In the two messages, the UAE's top diplomat reviewed several humanitarian initiatives carried out by his country since the onset of the pandemic.
"The UAE has sent aid to around 40 countries, including over 410 tons of medical assistance. The UAE also collaborated with the World Health Organization and its partners to send more than 80 percent of the WHO's global medical response in the fight against COVID-19 through the International Humanitarian City, one of the biggest humanitarian hubs in the world, which facilitated the dispatch of essential supplies to combat the novel virus during the first three months of 2020," Sheikh Abdullah said.
He praised Othaimeen’s efforts in launching a joint initiative with the Islamic Development Bank to set up a Strategic Preparedness and Response Facility to support the most vulnerable member states in the health sector, and socially and economically.
Sheikh Abdullah underscored the importance of advancing diligent efforts to combat the virus by reaching ceasefires in conflict zones in the Islamic world, urging all warring parties to put an end to all acts of aggression and agree to peaceful solutions to their differences.
In his message to Aboul Gheit, he said: “There is an urgent need to look into the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis on the Arab world in the future and to study how joint Arab action can be revived to confront the challenges of the pandemic.”
He noting the necessity of developing a proactive strategy and a joint plan to strengthen the food security sector in the Arab world in a way that ensures the sustainability and viability of food supply chains.
Sheikh Abdullah also called for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and health sector and the revival of the Arab strategy on health and the environment and its strategic action guidelines (2017–2030), which were adopted at the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia in 2018.
