UAE mourns death of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid

The UAE is mourning the passing of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Hamdan witnessed all stages of the UAE’s journey and tremendously contributed to the national development drive.

He was a remarkable icon of the country’s political, economic, social, cultural and sporting life.

Sheikh Hamdan was appointed the Minister of Finance during the formation of the first UAE Cabinet on December 9, 1971, and remained in this position until his death. He was known for his interest in humanitarian work and his passion for culture, literature and science.

The late leader has chaired numerous authorities and prominent government institutions that play a vital role in supporting the economy and labour market of the entire country.

Sheikh Hamdan was known for his passion for humanitarian work, most notably in poor and marginalised areas, which led the Annual Summit of the African Union (AU), in 2009, to dedicate a session to honour him, attended by presidents of nearly 50 states who lauded his efforts as he provided tens of thousands of poor people with health and education services.

His charity activities were not limited to the African continent but reached out to Europe, America and Australia.

Sheikh Hamdan was always keen to support new Muslims and the Muslim community, either financially or through providing holy books and publications and organising workshops and educational programmes. He also established numerous schools to teach the Islamic Sharia.

Sheikh Hamdan ordered the establishment of numerous projects in many Arab countries, including medical, health and educational services projects, as well as the construction of mosques, schools, hospitals, vocational centres and Holy Quran recital centres.

He also implemented rescue and humanitarian campaigns for needy families, supported orphans, and organised Ramadan Iftar, Eid clothing and school material provision campaigns, among other charitable activities.

On the domestic front, the aid provided by the Al Maktoum Foundation, under the leadership of Sheikh Hamdan, added greatly to the UAE’s humanitarian efforts.

Sheikh Hamdan is unique for supporting education at all levels through the "Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance," which was launched in 1998.

The award has become a leading international accolade in the areas of education, creativity and innovation, especially following the launch of the "UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Prize" which is a joint initiative between the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance and UNESCO.

Under the same framework, Sheikh Hamdan established the Al Maktoum Engineering and Technology College in Tanzania in 2010 and the Al Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Scotland.

Sheikh Hamdan allocated a fixed annual financial support package for the International University of Africa, in recognition of its major role in the field of higher education in Africa and attracting graduates from the African branches of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Schools, including in Sudan.

He was also a key donor to the Palestinian Children’s Fund, which offers medical and humanitarian services for Palestinian children, both inside and outside Palestine.

He had made significant efforts to support the health sector both locally and globally, through the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, which aims to encourage medical teams to provide the best services.