UAE Launches' One Billion Meals' Campaign to Secure Food Aid for People

UAE's 'One Billion Meals' is an extension of last year's 100 Million Meals (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UAE's 'One Billion Meals' is an extension of last year's 100 Million Meals (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UAE Launches' One Billion Meals' Campaign to Secure Food Aid for People

UAE's 'One Billion Meals' is an extension of last year's 100 Million Meals (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UAE's 'One Billion Meals' is an extension of last year's 100 Million Meals (Asharq Al-Awsat)

UAE announced the launch of the "One Billion Meals" campaign to secure food aid for vulnerable communities in 50 countries.

The One Billion Meals campaign aims to provide sustainable food aid to underserved populations in the UAE's contributions to global efforts.

The campaign was exceeded by the "100 Million Meals" launched last year during Ramadan month and raised more than double its target earlier this year to secure food parcels, equivalent to 220 million meals, to the disadvantaged in 47 countries across four continents.

The "One Billion Meals" initiative, organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), contributes to the fight against hunger and malnutrition globally, especially among vulnerable groups women, children, refugees, displaced persons, and victims of disasters and crises.

UAE Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the launch of the "One Billion Meals" campaign via Twitter, saying: "We announce the One Billion Meals campaign. It starts at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan and will continue until the goal is achieved."

"Our humanity and religion encourage us to help others," reiterated the PM.

He asserted that the best of all charities is to feed a hungry person and the best of all nations is the one that keeps thinking of others, adding that the UAE aims to distribute One Billion Meals to send one billion messages of humanity to the world.

"The world is going through challenges in providing food security for everyone. Our mission is to support our brothers in humanity to save them from hunger."

The campaign provided food support as food parcels and instant smart vouchers to millions of beneficiaries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

Food parcels are currently being distributed to beneficiaries in collaboration with the UN World Food Program, the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), and humanitarian organizations in targeted countries. Distribution is set to continue throughout this year until all donated meals are delivered to those in need.

Hunger claims a child's life every ten seconds in a world where 25,000 people die of starvation daily, including 10,000 children. Over 800 million people are undernourished globally, 52 million of whom live in the Middle East and North Africa.



Riyadh, Washington Stress Joint Work to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Peace

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
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Riyadh, Washington Stress Joint Work to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Peace

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and US President Donald Trump consolidated on Tuesday the cooperation between their countries as they took part in the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.

Crown Prince Mohammed said joint work between Riyadh and Washington is not limited to economic cooperation, but extends to achieving security and peace in the region and world.

Trump said a “great dawn” was awaiting the Middle East and that the leaders of the region are capable of seizing this opportunity, remarking that Saudi Arabia was at the “center of the world.”

Crown Prince Mohammed said economic ties between Saudi Arabia and the US have been deep-rooted for over 90 years, starting with their energy cooperation and now extending to knowledge and innovation.

Saudi Arabia is the United States’ biggest economic partner in the region and joint investments are the foundations of the economic relations between them, he added.

The size of the partnership between the amounts to 600 billion dollars and agreements announced at the forum have reached 300 billion dollars, he remarked. Forty percent of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s investments are poured into the US.

Moreover, Crown Prince Mohammed stressed that Saudi Vision 2030 succeeded in achieving an unprecedented economic transformation aimed at diversifying the economy and empowering the private sector.

For his part, Trump said: “We're still just at the dawn of the bright new day that awaits the people of the Middle East if the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside differences and focus on the interests that unite the people.”

He added that he would not hesitate to use military force to defend “our allies and friends” in Saudi Arabia, expressing his appreciation for the Kingdom’s role in the talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Crown Prince Mohammed, he continued, is the best example of Washington’s strong allies and Riyadh was on its way to becoming the center of world business.

On Gaza, Trump said its people deserve a “much better future” and that the US is working on stopping the “horrible” war there.

“We wouldn't have had the problems of October 7th if I were president. We wouldn't have had Ukraine, Russia, if I were president,” he said, reiterating similar assertions he had made in the past. “The West should not be dragging itself backward into another endless war in Europe.”

On Lebanon, Trump said it “has been endlessly victimized by Hezbollah and their sponsor, Iran,” adding that his “administration stands ready to help Lebanon create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors.”

Turning to Iran, he warned that if its “leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, like I did before.”

“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he vowed.

On the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, he criticized the Biden administration for removing them from the terrorism list. Trump blacklisted them again when he became president.

The United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, which has forced them to stop targeting American ships in the Red Sea, he added.

Turning to his Saudi hosts, Trump praised the warm reception accorded to him by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz eight years ago, saying he will never forget it.

“The graciousness of the royal family and the Saudi people is really unsurpassed no matter where you go,” he stressed.

He hailed the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed, adding that he admires him for his leadership of the new and modern Middle East.