Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives – Bringing Hope to the World

Dubai is a world-class city, having undergone remarkable development during recent decades. This extraordinary transformation has been led and guided by the vision and foresight of Dubai’s rulers, and in particular, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Programs like the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives reflect Dubai’s long-term vision. They aim to provide a high quality of life for citizens and residents.
At the same time, they contribute positively to the international community.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) reflect the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to develop a comprehensive humanitarian aid and social framework for a wide range of projects supporting and empowering vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in many countries around the world.

What is Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives?

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) was established in 2015 to bring together over 30 humanitarian, social, and development initiatives and entities, most of which have been launched and supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for more than 20 years. The large number of initiatives and wide-reaching programmes, and projects make MBRGI the largest foundation of its kind in the region.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives not only supports vital humanitarian aid and relief operations but also works to develop practical and innovative solutions to address cultural, economic, social, health, educational, developmental, and environmental challenges around the world. The MBRGI Foundation follows purely humanitarian objectives, not limited by nationality, religion, color, or ethnicity. Sustainable long-term planning and work practices are designed to empower communities, improve well-being, and build stable and prosperous societies.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives are classified under five main pillars, each serving a particular humanitarian, social, and development sector to meet the Foundation’s overarching vision to create hope and foster a culture of positive change in the region. In 2023, a total of 1.8 billion AED was spent on Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives to benefit around 111 million beneficiaries in 105 countries.

Humanitarian Aid and Relief

Humanitarian Aid and Relief is a core pillar of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. Various programmes and entities actively deploy vital resources and capacities.
Its mission is to alleviate suffering in communities impacted by natural disasters, wars, and other global crises. As well as providing urgent aid and effective emergency relief, MBRGI entities also implement sustainable long-term development projects and programs that improve the lives of communities facing challenges such as poverty and conflict. In 2023, the government allocated 1.1 billion AED to Humanitarian Aid and Relief initiatives. This included 50 million AED dedicated to urgent relief efforts in Gaza.

Humanitarian Aid and Relief entities within MBRGI include:

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity Establishment, founded in 1997, oversees sustainable development and relief projects with a special focus on initiatives that promote health, education, and family empowerment.
Dubai Humanitarian, established in 2003, is the world’s largest humanitarian, transport, and logistics hub, strategically located in Dubai. Dubai Humanitarian hosts United Nations agencies, non-profits, and non-governmental organisations and facilitates international aid operations to provide swift and efficient emergency relief to countries around the world. In 2025, Dubai Humanitarian won the Gold award for Innovation in Technology in the Non-Profit category at the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards for its pioneering Humanitarian Logistics Databank, a digital platform transforming global aid coordination and delivery.
The UAE Water Aid Foundation, established in 2015, provides clean drinking water to underprivileged communities by drilling wells, distributing water pumps and purification equipment, and undertaking desalination projects. The Foundation also invests in research to address water scarcity. It has established the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award to recognise individuals and organisations with outstanding efforts to find sustainable and innovative solar-powered solutions for water scarcity.
Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy, launched in 2016, offers free consultancy services to individuals and regional and international organisations, with the aim of stimulating and empowering awqaf and endowments to respond to urgent social needs.
The UAE Food Bank, launched in January 2017, collects surplus food from hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, farms, and other food establishments and distributes it to people in need in coordination with a network of local and international charities.
The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ was launched in March 2023 as the largest food aid endowment project, aiming to provide a food safety net for underprivileged populations, especially in countries struggling with food insecurity. The project also aims to implement sustainable measures and programs to fight and eradicate hunger.

Healthcare and Disease Control

Healthcare and Disease Control is another pillar of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. There are various programmes and projects with objectives to combat major diseases and epidemics, prevent and treat infectious diseases, and provide healthcare services, particularly maternal and pediatric services, to disadvantaged communities.

Al Jalila Foundation, established in 2012, is a global healthcare philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives by supporting medical education, ground-breaking research, and access to healthcare treatment.
Noor Dubai was launched in 2008 with the vision of a world free from avoidable causes of blindness. It implements therapeutic and preventative programmes to combat blindness and visual impairment in the UAE and around the world, focusing on remote areas that lack healthcare resources and infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

Spreading Education and Knowledge

Recognising the vital importance of education for the progress of individuals and communities, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives invests in various programmes to increase access to education, research, and knowledge dissemination.

Dubai Cares: Since 2007, it has actively provided children and young people in developing countries with access to quality education by designing and funding programs that are integrated, impactful, sustainable, and scalable. To date, Dubai Cares’ education programmes have touched the lives of 20 million beneficiaries in more than 60 countries. Dubai Cares plays a key role in helping achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all by 2030.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation funds projects and initiatives that address development, education, research and development, translation, and publishing.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives works to support and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the Arab world through various initiatives.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (Dubai SME) supports entrepreneurs in the UAE and promotes innovation and leadership among the nation’s youth.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, launched in 2005, recognises and celebrates organisations with outstanding practices that contribute to the sustainable economic development of the UAE and GCC. Supported by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award Program, the Award seeks to establish a world-class business culture in the GCC and implement cutting-edge international best practices.

The Museum of the Future in Dubai is a unique architectural marvel and testbed for science and technology, supporting scientists, experts, innovators, and creatives from all over the world as they address global challenges.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award encourages companies, research centres, institutions, inventors, and innovators from around the world to develop sustainable solutions to water scarcity in poor and disaster-stricken regions.
The “One Million Arab Coders” initiative, launched in 2017, aims to empower Arab youth with essential digital and programming skills and tools through specialised training courses.
The Great Arab Minds initiative, launched in 2022, aims to identify and support 1,000 exceptional Arab scientists, thinkers and innovators within five years across six main categories – Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Literature and Arts, Architecture and Design, Economics, and Medicine – so that they can develop their ideas into transformational solutions, amplifying their positive impact in the region.
The Food Innovation Hub UAE, a joint initiative between MBRGI and the World Economic Forum, seeks to accelerate innovation in the field of food transformation to uncover more efficient, sustainable future solutions and improve food production mechanisms.

Empowering Communities

Another core mission of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives is to empower communities. Towards this aim, the Foundation organises numerous projects, initiatives, programmes, conferences, and awards to promote common human values among people and societies and foster a culture of solidarity and positivity. The Foundation channels efforts to promote cultural and humanitarian dialogue regionally and globally and to develop the next generation of effective leaders capable of formulating future policies and strategies that nurture advanced, stable, and prosperous societies.

Bringing hope to the world

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives continues to develop new initiatives and programmes. In February 2025, coinciding with the UAE’s “Year of Community,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Fathers’ Endowment campaign. This initiative honours fathers by allowing individuals to donate in their name to establish a sustainable endowment fund valued at AED1 billion, with proceeds dedicated to providing treatment and healthcare to the poor and needy.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives reflect the UAE’s deeply rooted humanitarian culture, desire to effectively contribute to the global community, especially those in less advantaged communities.

For more information on Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives:https://www.almaktouminitiatives.org/en

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives – Bringing Hope to the World