Sheikh Mohammed donates his plane to send aid to Papua New Guinea

 by Siobhan Downes, whatson.ae
April 3, 2018

The Dubai ruler has once again used his private jet to do some good.
Not everyone who has their own plane uses it for selfless activities – but then not everyone is H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai has sent his private cargo jet to Papua New Guinea, which was hit by a devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake in February.
According to the UN World Food Programme, the aircraft donated by Sheikh Mohammed departed the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai on Monday morning, carrying more than 80 metric tons of life-saving, nutrient-dense biscuits.

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The food aid is expected to reach those in need within days, benefiting 60,000 people in the southwest Pacific nation.
“We are grateful for Sheikh Mohammed’s generosity in rapidly providing this plane. His support is crucial to deliver humanitarian assistance to those most affected by this natural disaster,” said Stefano Peveri, head of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai.
The airlift was facilitated by the International Humanitarian City, which is chaired by HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Sheikh Mohammed’s wife.
Princess Haya, who is also a United Nations Messenger of Peace, shared some pictures of the operation to her Instagram.

اليوم، قام برنامج الأغذية العالمي بنقل أكثر من 80 طناً من المساعدات الإغاثيّة الضرورية من المدينة العالمية للخدمات الإنسانية إلى بابوا غينيا الجديدة التي تعرّضت لهزّة أرضية مؤخراً. طائرة المساعدات الإغاثيّة – التي تبرّع بها صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم – حملت طعاماً يكفي لسدّ حاجة حوالي 60 ألف شخص من الذين تضرّروا جرّاء الهزة الأرضية ‏ #WFP today airlifted more than 80 metric tons of life-saving, relief items from International Humanitarian City in Dubai to Papua New Guinea ‏The plane, generously donated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, carried enough food to feed approximately 60,000 people affected by the earthquake

It’s not the first time Sheikh Mohammed has freed up his private jet, either. In October 2016, the ruler famously loaded the 747B-400 with Dhs1.3 million worth of emergency supplies to send to cyclone-hit Haiti.
Princess Haya was also onboard the jet to ensure everything was distributed to plan.
And last year, Sheikh Mohammed ordered an emergency airlift bridge be set up to create a connection between the UAE and the more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from violence in Myanmar to southern Bangladesh.
The UAE has been named the world’s largest donor of official development aid, relative to its national income.
In 2016, the UAE spent 1.21 per cent of its gross national income on development aid – which totalled Dhs15.57 billion.
The United Nations recommends economically-advanced countries spend at least 0.7 per cent of their gross national income on aid, which shows the UAE really has gone over and above.