To all developing nations, Abu Dhabi extends a helping hand

Covid-19 will hit the developing world especially hard, so the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development is working harder than ever

Health staff wear protective equipment to help stop the spread of the coronavirus outside the Menara City One condominium under a lockdown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AP Photo

People wearing masks walk past a mural depicting the coronavirus in Los Angeles. AP Photo

A Russian serviceman wearing a protective mask looks out of a military vehicle during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Reuters

Brazilian 99-year-old former WWII combatant Ermando Armelino Piveta gestures as he leaves the Armed Forces Hospital, after being treated for the coronavirus disease in Brasilia, Brazil. Reuters

US President Donald Trump answers questions during the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. REUTERS

Newborn babies are seen in a hospital wearing protective face shields amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters

A health worker walks inside the Chennai trade centre, which is being converted into an isolation ward. AFP

A medical technician gestures at a testing and sample collection centre in Chennai. AFP

Healthcare workers hold a tablet in front of a patient during a video call with relatives at the Intensive Unit Care (ICU) of the Ramon y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. AFP

A person walks past a poster thanking the healthcare personnel, shopkeepers, the French national security, the post office staff members and farmers, in Paris. AFP

A banner thanking frontline health workers hangs on a high-rise building construction site in St Julian's, Malta. REUTERS

Members of the armed forces disinfect at Brasilia International Airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil. REUTERS

Workers are seen at a production line within the Shona Textiles Export Processing Zone in Athi River near Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS

A woman receives free rice in Hanoi, Vietnam. EPA

Colombian soldiers disinfect a zone at neighborhood next to a military base as part of the campaign against the spread of coronavirus in Bogota, Colombia. EPA

A worker from the railway cleaning services disinfects a grip bar in a train wagon in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain. EPA

We live in testing times. Now more than ever, we need to work together to invest in health, education and technology in order to build a stronger world.

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every nation on earth, bringing with it medical, emotional and financial challenges. Our hearts go out to those experiencing hardship, economic difficulty or bereavement during this troubled time. At the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, we stand ready to extend a helping hand to those in need, and are considering a range of innovative solutions to provide aid and comfort.

The current situation doesn’t alter our mission, ethos or aims. Rather, it brings them into sharper focus. ADFD’s mission has always been to help developing countries achieve sustainable economic growth. We forge global partnerships and co-invest in development projects that lift up communities and create resilience.

And what better time to focus on resilience than now? Our research and experience show that resilient communities and countries have some factors in common. They embrace the potential of new technology. They invest in education. They strengthen healthcare infrastructure.

Through its unique capability for disruption, Covid-19 reinforces an important lesson on priorities. The pandemic underscores how important it is for countries to focus and increase their investments in technological infrastructure, digital education and health. These three sectors should be seen as the axes of sustainable development, economic growth, prosperity and resilience.

Covid-19 is a drastic case study in the importance of investing in these sectors. Consider that the healthcare sector and its tireless workers have been our vanguard against this threat. The only viable solution to combat the pandemic has been to rapidly expand healthcare capacity. Then consider that traditional, non-technological economic activity has suffered a massive blow in these times of isolation. Social distancing has led to offices, schools and centres of trade closing. The reverberations are echoing worldwide. Traditional education has also been disrupted.

Yet, countries with modern technological and digital infrastructure, and good health and educational systems, will emerge from these trials faster. Countries using the challenge of Covid-19 to accelerate their digital transformations are able continue economic activity even during a time of social distancing.

There is no denying that Covid-19 is a global challenge, and a crisis of extensive magnitude. But at the ADFD, we have always focused more on solutions. Since 1971, as we have gone about funding over 1,000 projects in 94 countries. We have embraced change, empowered communities and created results with a positive attitude.

Today, we continue with this approach. We will continue to be supportive, caring partners for our communities at home and for developing countries around the world. We will continue helping to create and finance technological, health and educational projects. We will support communities in creating development, economic growth and resilience that will allow them to withstand challenges such as those we face today.

As our people and communities battle this threat and show fortitude and resilience from the front lines, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development stands by them. We pay tribute to the UAE’s leadership, which is marshalling resources and leading our effective fight against this pandemic.

Challenges, no matter how severe, are temporary. This too shall pass. But the march towards sustainable development, community well-being and economic empowerment continues long-term. And we will be there to help, ensuring that the world is better prepared for future challenges.

Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi is the Director General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development