The United Arab Emirates has shown its immense generosity, again.
The UAE has been named as the country to give the largest percentage of its gross national income to official development assistance in the world for the second year running, according to data from the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development .
At 1.26 percent of gross national income ($4.99 billion), the UAE is followed by Sweden at 1.09 percent and Luxembourg at 1.06 percent. Norway came in fourth at 1 percent.
Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, minister of International Cooperation and Development, told Arabian Business that this generosity enhances the UAE's position as a humanitarian hub, building its reputation throughout the world. She said that maintaining the top position for two years in a row demonstrated the UAE's commitment to humanitarian and relief work.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon recently stressed the importance of donors increasing development assistance. Highlighting the fact that the number of individuals requiring critical aid has more than doubled since 2004, he stressed that funding needs have increased dramatically.
Particularly, the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis has placed added strain on the UN's relief efforts within the Middle East. More than 4 million Syrians have registered with the UNHCR since the start of their country's ongoing civil war. Most have fled to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, placing additional strain on these neighboring economies as well.