DUBAI 31 March 2021: The UAE has called for maximising pressures on the remnants of Daesh in Syria and Iraq and for stymieing their expanding threat landscape, specially in West Africa and Africa’s Sahel region.
This came in an address by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, before a virtual meeting for the Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group Co-Hosted by The Kingdom of Belgium and The United States of America on March 30, 2021.
The Group met virtually today to reaffirm their shared determination to continue the fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, now that exactly two years passed after Daesh fighters abandoned the final scraps of land they had occupied at al-Baghouz Fawqani. The meeting discussed ways to create conditions for an enduring defeat of the terrorist group, which remains the Coalition’s sole purpose, through a comprehensive, multifaceted effort.
The UAE minster thanked the meeting organisers for convening it and congratulated the Republic of Iraq on the successful visit paid by Pope Francis, the Head of the Catholic Church, recently, saying that the UAE hopes this historic visit would pave the way for more tolerance and peace in the region.
She pointed out that the UAE will continue, during its co-presidency of the Coalition Stabilisation Working Group, to support all efforts made to restore the stability and carrying out the critical projects badly needed across the areas liberated from Daesh. The minister emphasised on the importance of ensuring the needy in Syria and Iraq have unrestricted and unconditional access to essential oil supplies and humanitarian relief.
“As a participant as well in the presidency of the Communication Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh and as the host country of the Hedayah Centre and the Sawab Center, the UAE proclaims its continued commitment to work along with international partners in combatting the spread of hate propaganda and incitement out of its principled commitment toward the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh. The UAE will also continue its diligent efforts aimed at getting rid of the poisonous ideologies propagated by the terrorist group,” the minister added.
The UAE has provided AED654.9 million ($178.3 million) in aid and programs supportive of achieving stability in the areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq these aid programs focused on energy and water projects and on rehabilitating hospitals and residential units in East and West Mosul in cooperation with the UN Development Program. This is in addition to restoring Al-Hadba Minaret and Al Saa’a and Al Tahera Churches and revamping of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul City in cooperation with UNESCO as part of the ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative.
This is together with providing the Sinjar region with water supplies as part of the Nadia Murad Initiative.
In Syria, the UAE carried out programs in support of food security, health, and rehabilitation of water & electricity stations through various parties, including the Syria Recovery Trust Fund, of which the UAE is a co-initiator along with the USA and Germany since 2013.