No one disagrees on the fact that the United Arab Emirates are the symbol of giving in the world. These are not mere slogans repeated in the media, nor empty talk, but numbers and statistics the Emirates do not highlight because they do not need to be thanked for them, but they stem from a set of values and principles that form the ethical framework of the federal edifice upon which the United Arab Emirates is based.
In political science, there is what is known as the system of values and ethics ruling the policies of states, and this system is not one nor is it constant in all States, and it is not based on the same principles and foundations. It is a mirror reflecting the cultures and identities, and the moral and humanitarian heritage of communities, peoples and nations. This mirror in the UAE reflects a set of values that grew in the soil of this homeland and were watered by the arms of its sons. They were planted by the founding leader late his Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, and were nurtured and reinforced by his Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan until they has become a lush tree.
Yesterday, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, announced that in 2017 the UAE’s motto will be “the Year of Goodness”, so that the focus of work in the New Year will be on three main axes. The first is the consolidation of social responsibility in the private sector companies so that they play their role in the service of the homeland and contribute to its development. The second axis consists in the consolidation of the spirit of volunteerism and specialized volunteer programs in all segments of society to enable them to provide real services to the UAE community and to take advantage of its capacities in all areas. The third axis is the consolidation of serving the nation in the new generations as one of the most important personal attributes of the UAE, so that serving the nation becomes synonymous to loving the homeland, which has been established over decades in all the hearts of the people of the UAE and residents on its territory.
As a researcher, I see in these axes a commendable effort aimed at strengthening the “institutionalization” of charitable work and turning it into a platform for action and an integrated and comprehensive community culture. Partnerships, specifically between the government and the private sector is the backbone of development during the next phase in the state. Therefore, developing a clear roadmap to transform the social responsibility from a slogan into real action programs applicable which private sector companies abide by, by extension means that we are in the process of a quantum leap in charitable work.
The axis concerning promoting a culture of volunteerism is a matter of personal interest to me, because this culture already exists strongly in the UAE. I have always hoped for this culture to have a supporting institutional framework that encourages it and works to expand it and to take advantage of the enthusiasm of all the youth of the homeland, as well as a large segment of the residents on this good land, to provide their volunteer services for the success of any action, or to contribute to the humanitarian and relief programs and so on. As for the third axis concerning the consolidation of serving the nation in the new generations as one of the most important personal attributes of the UAE, it is a strategic axis par excellence, as it sets the foundations for the continuity of the culture of charity and volunteer work in the UAE community, and puts strong pillars that prevent the erosion of such noble human values amid the sweeping flood of globalization, which could sweep away a lot of identity values unless these values are well established through mechanisms that maintain the originality and uniqueness of our society and such wonderful values and traditions of humanity.
Goodness and the Emirates, or the Emirates and goodness, are in fact, two sides of the same coin. Since the foundation of this good country, its generosity has been moving in different parts of the world, wiping the tears of the needy and drawing a smile on the lips of the weak and the poor and the victims of natural and human disasters. And more importantly, all that goes without media noise and also without distinction between color and sex and race.
This magnificent humanitarian initiative on the year of goodness embodies the role of the UAE and its vision of the world, and even its humanitarian mission. The wise leadership of the UAE, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, May God protect him, and the following up of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Deputy Supreme commander of the armed forces, have made the UAE a symbol for goodness and giving. They have even made it the capital of humanity. The UAE ranked first globally as the largest donor of official development assistance relative to GDP in 2014, as the foreign aid provided by the State reached about 18 billion dirhams (4.89 billion dollars) which reflects the existence of a rooted conviction in this land that the Emirates has a global humanitarian mission, and that it will remain a humanitarian capital and a source of support for all the brothers and friends among the peoples of the world.
I might not find better than the expression of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to express my point of view about the role of our wise leadership in support of charitable, humanitarian and voluntary work efforts. He says “His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the UAE forces, have pushed the Emirates to the first place globally in the official humanitarian aid. They are knights in this field.”
They are actually the knights of giving and of helping the needy. Let us all wait for a year full of goodness and giving, a year that removes the distortion and deviation in visions and interpretations, ideas, and other manifestations of the distortion caused to our religion and our people that only hear the follies of the ignorant who promote terrorist ideology.
