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Since the establishment of the United Arab Emirates, the country has played an active role in the provision of financial aid to developing countries and has been a major contributor of emergency relief to countries and areas affected by conflict and natural disasters.
This process began with the creation of the main governmental aid-giving agency, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) in mid-1971, before the UAE itself was created. The philosophy behind the aid policy is two-fold - first, the provision of help for the needy is a duty incumbent on all Muslims and, second, the country's policy on utilisation of the revenues from its oil and gas production has always included a component that they should be devoted, in part, to helping other countries, whether Arab, African or Asian, which have been less well-endowed.
The philosophy was well-described by former UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in his statement on the occasion of the 2003 UAE National Day.
Foreign aid and assistance is one of the basic pillars of our foreign policy. For we believe that there is no true benefit for us from the wealth that we have unless it does not also reach those in need, wherever they may be, and regardless of their nationality or beliefs. That is why we have ensured that our brothers and our friends have shared in our wealth.
One major focus in late 2004 and in early 2005 was the provision of emergency relief for those countries around the Indian Ocean that were hit by the devastating earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred in late December, and in which over 200,000 people were estimated to have lost their lives, with millions being made homeless.
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