Dubai: The Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), operating under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, convened its first meeting of the year in 2026, led by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The meeting focused on reviewing projects executed by Suqia during 2025, with a special emphasis on initiatives in Tanzania. These projects were carried out following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aiming to provide clean drinking water across various Tanzanian regions and villages.
According to Emirates News Agency, these initiatives have positively impacted more than one million people so far. The board also evaluated the outcomes of Suqia's Ramadan campaign, which was conducted in partnership with 19 organizations and associations. This campaign involved DEWA employees distributing water bottles with Iftar meals in mosques and Iftar tents, as well as delivering food baskets to families in need.
The meeting was attended by notable board members including Dr. Sultan Rashid Al Ketbi, Deputy Secretary General for International Aid at the Emirates Red Crescent and Vice Chairman of the Board; Dr. Ahmed Ali Al Raeesi, Vice Chancellor of the UAE University; Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation (Power and Water) at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA; Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA; and Mohammed Abdul Karim Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia UAE, remarked on the global water scarcity, citing UN reports that highlight 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed drinking water services, and 2.4 billion people reside in water-stressed countries. He emphasized Suqia UAE's commitment to fulfilling the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to enhance the UAE's leading role in global humanitarian and volunteer work through the provision of clean and safe water worldwide. Suqia's projects align with efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Goals for 2030, particularly the goal of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.
Al Tayer highlighted that in 2025 alone, Suqia implemented 54 projects in Tanzania, in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent and the UAE Embassy in Tanzania, benefiting over 524,000 individuals.
Mohammed Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia, mentioned that the meeting also assessed the latest developments regarding the fifth cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, which offers total prizes of US$1 million. He explained that the organization launched an international marketing and communications campaign aimed at universities and companies through business associations to encourage individuals and research institutions to propose innovations that offer sustainable solutions to water scarcity.