Counselor Maryam Al-Ahmadi, Vice President of the Union Association for Human Rights, delivered an oral statement before the UN Human Rights Council during its 58th session under Item 4, which addresses the annual report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and related reports of the OHCHR and the UN Secretary-General. The statement addressed the global decline in international humanitarian aid amid ongoing conflicts and wars, highlighting the UAE’s position as a leading donor state and its pioneering role in supporting global humanitarian and development responses.

• Commending the role of the Council: The speaker began by praising the Council’s efforts to ensure a dignified life for all people while noting the worsening suffering of populations affected by wars and declining living standards.
• Highlighting the decline in international funding: The statement drew attention to the spread of armed conflicts and instability worldwide, resulting in heightened humanitarian suffering and shrinking financial allocations for international humanitarian programs, thereby deepening the plight of refugees and vulnerable communities.
• Call to strengthen global solidarity: The statement urged the Human Rights Council to intensify efforts to enhance international cooperation in funding humanitarian programs and to ensure that affected populations are not left without an adequate response.
• Commending the UAE’s experience: The statement spotlighted the UAE’s leading role in humanitarian and development assistance, noting that:
• The UAE provided humanitarian and development aid exceeding USD 100 billion by the end of 2024.
• The country remains committed to initiatives aimed at alleviating humanitarian crises and addressing the most pressing global challenges.

• Highlighting the crisis of declining international aid: The statement stressed that the decline of humanitarian funding poses a major threat to human dignity and calls for stronger UN action to bridge funding gaps.
• Reinforcing the UAE’s status as a global donor: The statement underscored the UAE’s prominent role in humanitarian and development work, enhancing its moral and diplomatic presence on international platforms.
• Calling for a global participatory approach: The statement emphasized the need to foster global solidarity to address protracted crises and create a fair, sustainable funding environment for humanitarian initiatives.
• Linking the humanitarian agenda with human rights priorities: The statement called for integrating humanitarian response into the core work of the Human Rights Council, considering it a foundation for human dignity and the right to a decent life and development.