GIVING IN THE UAE

A country built on giving.

From national campaigns to neighbourhood gestures, giving runs deep in the UAE.

AI-generated scene: A sunlit date-palm grove and traditional irrigation channel in a desert oasis. — Images on this page are AI-generated.

Ask people who live in the UAE what surprised them when they arrived, and many mention the generosity: the neighbour who brings a plate of food, the stranger who insists on paying, the colleague who quietly helps. Giving is woven into everyday life here, and it is also a national priority.

A national habit

Since its founding in 1971, the UAE has given more than 98 billion US dollars in foreign aid, according to its embassy in Washington. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development counts it among the largest donors in the world relative to the size of its economy.

In 2017, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared a Year of Giving, built on three pillars: companies taking responsibility for their communities, volunteering, and serving the nation. In 2025, the UAE marked a Year of Community, with the same spirit of looking after one another.

AI-generated scene: Hands serving Arabic coffee from a dallah into a small cup beside a bowl of dates.

One billion meals

In 2022, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives launched the 1 Billion Meals campaign. By July 2025 it had reached its goal: one billion meals distributed in 65 countries, with partners such as the United Nations World Food Programme, and with donations from people and companies across the UAE.

AI-generated scene: A simple table prepared for a shared meal beneath date palms in a neighbourhood courtyard.

Where 10×10 fits

These efforts are large. 10×10 is small and personal on purpose. It is not charity and it collects nothing: it is a thank-you, from one person to another, for the people who make our days easier. In a country that already knows how to give, we simply add ten more smiles on 10 October.