Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allocated Dirham 9.5 million (Rs 19.36 crore approx) to provide direct food aid to vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers in Nigeria and India, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The initiative is being undertaken by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The UNHCR will distribute food parcels containing balanced healthy meals, benefitting some 30,000 refugees in India and cash aid to nearly 42,800 refugees in Nigeria.
Of the Rs 19 crore, refugees in India will be given food aid worth Rs 4.89 crore (Dirham 2.4 million), while Nigeria will get Rs 14.48 crore (Dirham 7.1 million) in aid.
The aid agreements were signed by Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Representative in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries and Saeed Al Atar, Assistant Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, and will be a part of the 100 Million Meals campaign.
It is reported that the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution and human rights violations in 2020 rose to nearly 82.4 million people.