Dubai unveils ‘One Billion Meals’ campaign

The campaign is an expansion of the UAE’s previous “100 Million Meals” launched last year during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and raised more than double its target earlier this year, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the launch of the ”One Billion Meals” campaign to secure food aid for vulnerable communities in 50 countries.

Organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the campaign is an expansion of the UAE’s previous “100 Million Meals” launched last year during the Holy Month of Ramadan, 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.

Through an integrated food supply ecosystem, the One Billion Meals campaign aims to provide sustainable food aid to underserved populations, as part of the UAE’s contributions to global efforts.

“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,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. “We aim 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 One Billion Meals campaign responds to the global need of providing consistent humanitarian assistance to underserved communities all over the world, supporting efforts to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 that aims to end hunger by 2030.

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

The 100 Million Meals campaign’s expansion into the One Billion Meals campaign presents a grand statement of the UAE’s aspirations in humanitarian aid and firm commitment in developing long-term solutions to improve lives across the world.

The campaign provided food support as food parcels and instant smart vouchers to millions of beneficiaries across four continents including Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Kosovo, Brazil, Benin, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Angola, Sierra Leone, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

Food parcels are currently being distributed to beneficiaries in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, 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.

ALSO READ: UAE committed to OPEC+ pact

Key partners in the campaign complemented each other’s distribution efforts, where they accomplished the distribution of 121 million meals within the 100 Million Meals Campaign.. WFP distributed 56 million meals to refugees using cutting-edge cash-based transfers that enabled beneficiaries to purchase a range of nutritious foods from local markets. Whereas MBRCH distributed 6.3 million meals, and UNHCR distributed 8 million meals. The remaining meals from the total 216 million donated were distributed by other partners of the campaign within the 47 targeted countries.

The series of food campaigns started with the locally-held 10 Million Meals that supported COVID-19-hit communities across the UAE throughout Ramadan in 2020.

As a global philanthropic pioneer, the UAE aims to galvanize global action to combat world hunger, a major humanitarian challenge exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. Through its humanitarian campaigns, the UAE aims to foster a culture of giving and emphasize the power of collective action in making a tangible difference in people’s lives.

The One Billion Meals campaign falls under MBRGI’s Humanitarian Aid and Relief, one of the five pillars of the foundation’s operations that cover Healthcare and Disease Control, Spreading Education and Knowledge, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Empowering Communities. Besides time-bound humanitarian aid, the MBRGI carries out sustainable development programmes to drive positive change and build a better future for humanity.