Emirates Red Crescent launches Dh12.5 million winter relief drive across 17 countries
More than 300,000 vulnerable people are set to receive help through a new Emirates Red Crescent winter aid campaign. The Dh12.5 million ($3.4 million) initiative will assist refugees, displaced families and communities facing humanitarian crises and severe weather.
Mariam Al Mansoori
Aid to be delivered in phases through winter
Launched on November 2, 2026, the campaign covers the 2026-2027 winter season, according to Al-Ain News. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), directed the initiative.
Children, older people, women, and displaced and refugee families will receive priority, ERC Secretary-General Ahmed Al Mazrouei said. The organization will work with authorities and humanitarian partners at home and abroad to deliver assistance promptly and efficiently.
"The ERC has developed a phased implementation plan throughout the winter, in coordination with relevant authorities and humanitarian partners in the UAE and abroad," Al Mazrouei said.
Volunteers gathered at the ERC's Abu Dhabi headquarters for the launch, packing winter supplies with board members and employees. Participants included volunteers from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, ADNOC and other organizations.
Al Mazrouei described the turnout as an expression of solidarity in UAE society and highlighted charitable work's contribution to humanitarian efforts. He said the campaign followed the UAE's humanitarian approach under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the ERC's commitment to helping people through crises, with winter bringing added hardship.
The ERC also said it would maintain its relief programs and broaden partnerships under Sheikh Hamdan's directives to support the UAE's regional and international humanitarian work.
Recent deliveries to Gaza
The launch follows the ERC's delivery last week of Dh50 million in winter and medical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. With temperatures falling across the Middle East, the shipment provided clothing, blankets, tents, food, medicines and other necessities.
Operation Gallant Knight 3 is the UAE's main framework for coordinating relief to Gaza. The country has been among the most active aid providers, contributing more than $4 billion since 2023, or 46 percent of global support directed to the enclave.
Deliveries have carried 130,708 metric tons of relief goods, medical supplies and food, using 796 aircraft, 25 ships and 14,483 trucks.
Earlier and regional winter campaigns
For its previous annual winter campaign, launched in November 2025, the ERC set a target of 1,856,324 beneficiaries across 24 countries and an estimated budget of Dh37,126,485. Aletihad News Center reported on November 24, 2025, that more than Dh27 million of that budget was earmarked for 1,350,000 people in Gaza.
A separate regional effort began on October 25, 2026, when the Qatar Red Crescent Society announced its Warm Winter Campaign 2026-2027, according to a press release published by ReliefWeb. The three-month campaign aims to reach more than 57,000 people in vulnerable countries, including Palestine's Gaza and West Bank, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Jordan.
