Celebrations will be held across the UAE today to mark Zayed Humanitarian Work Day, in memory of the late Shaikh Zayed.

Shaikh Zayed with Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. -Wam file photos

Dubai - Today, residents all over the UAE – both locals and expatriates — will mark the 11th death anniversary of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, one of the founding fathers of the UAE and the man who “turned the desert green”.

For the fourth year in a row, celebrations will be held across the UAE to mark the Zayed Humanitarian Work Day, where yet more humanitarian and charitable initiatives will be launched across the country to honour Shaikh Zayed’s humble philanthropy.

Shaikh Zayed with his son Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

As a direct result of a Federal Cabinet meeting in November 2012, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched the first Zayed Humanitarian Work Day.

Describing Shaikh Zayed as the “source of generosity”, Shaikh Mohammed said the day will be used to commemorate the founding father, as well as promote the Emirati culture of giving.

Zayed Humanitarian Work Day, in its short reign as a celebrated day in the UAE, has so far seen thousands of volunteers from both the government and private sector gathering to help those in need — just as Shaikh Zayed once did.

Among the most notable feats was the ‘Campaign to Clothe One Million Children Around the World’, which concluded in 2014 by clothing more than 2m children, double the initial target.

Shaikh Zayed with Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Nahyan

This year, more than 3,000 orphans and poor families in Palestine have benefited from the memory of Shaikh Zayed, as work by the Human Appeal International (HAI) and other UAE associations have helped patronise them through the Zakat Nablus Central Committee, an effort which was lauded earlier this week by Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

In 1992, Shaikh Zayed established the Zayed Foundation for Charity and Humanitarian Works with a capital of more than one billion dollars in the arena of philanthropy in all fields.

Since its inception, the foundation has donated more than $460 million to charities and projects all over the world.

What was once a desert land inhabited by proud and resourceful nomadic Bedouin tribes, is now a modern day example of prosperity and goodwill thanks to the work of one of the country’s founding fathers.

In 1971, under the leadership of Shaikh Zayed, the world witnessed the federal unification of the seven emirates, and the beginning of the modern-day UAE.

Since that day, the value of development and humanitarian aid provided by the UAE has reached more than Dh95 billion, with more than 117 countries worldwide benefiting from this generosity.