The UAE today participated in the "Pledging Conference on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis" at the European headquarters of the United Nations, UN, in Geneva, through a delegation headed by Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, with the participation of Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva, and Rashid Salem Al Shamsi, Director of the Foreign Assistance Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Dr. Al Shamsi gave the speech on behalf of the UAE at the conference, where she expressed, at the start, the country’s utmost appreciation to Kuwait, the European Union, EU, and the UN, represented by its Secretary-General and its various organisations, most notably the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, for organising this important event.

She also expressed her appreciation to Bangladesh for its humanitarian stances, especially on the recent crisis involving over half a million Rohingya refugees during the previous weeks.

She also stressed that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State in Myanmar is not only about refugees or displaced people who left their homes in search of security, but they are crimes that involve the killing and displacement of tens of thousands of innocent people, who were and are deprived of their basic rights in their own country, which expelled them.

She added that the conditions and brutal practices endured by this minority is a disgrace to humanity, and do not meet the basic standards of humanitarian and ethical values, as well as the rights of minorities and the freedom of religious beliefs.

The UAE asserted the need for the international community to take a unified stance and immediate action to stop these practices, and hold those responsible for them accountable, she remarked.

The UAE observed that it was essential to continue supporting the United Nations in their efforts to put a stop to the violations and crimes suffered by the Muslim minority community, and work towards attaining security and peace in the Rakhine region of Myanmar by putting an end to all forms of violence and bloodshed in the region, she mentioned.

She noted that the UAE was concerned about the issue and was one of the first countries to take action in this regard by dedicating all its capabilities to provide the necessary humanitarian support that would ease the suffering of the refugees. It facilitated an air bridge to send assistance, and sent teams to evaluate the humanitarian condition, besides providing the logistics support to international organisations working in the global humanitarian city of Dubai, she added.

In this regard, she announced that the UAE has allocated an amount of US$7 million in order to support all the efforts aimed at easing the suffering of the Rohingya people and improving the conditions.

She affirmed at the end of the UAE’s speech that the country will continue to monitor and follow-up on the condition of the Rohingyas and support the efforts of international organisations fulfilling their humanitarian duty. She further hoped for the success of this conference in garnering support and shedding light on this crisis.

The conference has succeeded in receiving monetary pledges worth $335 million. The total value of humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees for a period of six months has reached $434 million.