For the purposes of implementing the provisions of this Decree by Law, the following terms and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to each of them, unless the context requires otherwise:
State: The United Arab Emirates.
Court: The Presidential Court.
Chairman of the Court: The Chairman of the Presidential Court.
Ministry: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Council: The International Humanitarian Affairs Council established pursuant to Federal Decree No. (202) of 2023.
Chairman of the Council: The Chairman of the International Humanitarian Affairs Council.
Agency: The UAE Agency for International Aid.
Chairman of the Agency: The Chairman of the UAE Agency for International Aid.
Foreign Aid: All external financial and in-kind grants and donations provided by the State through the Council, for the purpose of supporting economic and social development in developing countries. It includes grants allocated to support the implementation of development projects and programs, early recovery programs, and stabilization programs, and the implementation of humanitarian and relief response plans.
International Humanitarian Affairs: A set of external humanitarian and relief aid, plans, initiatives, projects, and measures that aim to enhance and achieve sustainable development and in line with recognized international standards, laws, and agreements.
Concerned Authorities: Federal or local government authorities concerned with the implementation of the provisions of this Decree by Law.
Competent Entities: Federal or local government authorities, international organizations, and private institutions and companies related to international humanitarian affairs.

Pursuant to the provisions of this Decree by Law, a public establishment named the "UAE Agency for International Aid" shall be established. The Agency shall have an independent legal personality and shall enjoy financial and administrative autonomy as well as full legal capacity to conduct its activities and achieve its objectives. It shall report to the Council.

The main headquarters of the Agency shall be in the city of Abu Dhabi. The Council may, by a decision, establish branches or offices of the Agency within or outside the State.

The Agency aims to plan, supervise, implement, and follow up on official government support, development projects and initiatives, early recovery programs, stabilization programs, and the implementation of humanitarian and relief response plans.

The Agency shall undertake the implementation of foreign aid programs in light of the State's general policy for development, international cooperation, and foreign aid, as approved by the Cabinet. It shall, in particular, have the following:
1. Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to determine the priority areas of development and foreign aid and the amount and type of support that may be provided by the Council in accordance with the approved general policy in this regard.
2. Implement relief and humanitarian response programs during disasters and crises, whether resulting from natural, environmental, or health disasters, or caused by human actions such as wars and armed conflicts, in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
3. Implement early recovery programs following humanitarian disasters during the transitional phase between the provision of relief aid and medium or long-term aid, by restoring basic health, educational, and other essential services in the beneficiary country to enable the transition to the early recovery and subsequently to the development phase, in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
4. Implement post-conflict support and stabilization programs, whether following armed conflicts or situations in which countries and communities are affected by terrorism, including programs related to mine clearance programs and the rebuilding of local capacities and essential services in the beneficiary countries, in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
5. Implement international development programs, projects, and initiatives and technical assistance in the targeted countries, either through direct agreements with the governments of these countries, or in partnership with international donors or international development organizations, and in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
6. Cooperate with international organizations concerned with development and humanitarian foreign aid, in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
7. Document all forms and types of development programs and foreign aid provided by the State and its development, humanitarian, and charitable institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, in coordination with the Competent Entities in the State.
8. Evaluate the impact of development programs and foreign aid provided by the State through all its humanitarian and charitable institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, to ensure their alignment with the approved general policy in this regard.
9. Supervise the foreign aid coordination offices in the State's missions abroad, in coordination with the Ministry. The Agency shall also establish, finance, and operate offices in the targeted countries with the aim of enhancing the supervision, evaluation, and implementation of projects executed by the Agency and by Emirati donor entities to ensure the quality of foreign aid and maximize its impact.
10. Regulate all financial transfers from donor entities and humanitarian and charitable institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, in the State that are directed abroad, in coordination with the Ministry and the Competent Entities in the State.
11. Coordinate with the private sector and work to enhance cooperation and partnerships to find innovative solutions that support humanitarian and development projects.
12. Coordinate with federal, local, and private governmental and non-governmental charitable and humanitarian institutions, and work to enhance cooperation through joint humanitarian and development projects, in a manner that aligns with the projects and initiatives undertaken by these institutions inside and outside the State.
13. Raise awareness of the State's role as an international donor in a manner that enhances the role and status of the State at the regional and international levels and strengthens the State's relations with international donors and organizations.
14. Any other tasks or competences decided by the Council.

The Agency shall have a Chairman, who shall be appointed and whose grade shall be determined by a Federal Decree. He shall exercise the following competences:
1. Propose the general policy of the Agency, its work plans, implementation priorities, and the necessary programs and projects, and have them approved by the Council.
2. Supervise the implementation of the competences and tasks of the Agency.
3. Propose the necessary plans for managing and investing the Agency's funds and have them approved by the Chairman of the Council after the approval of the Chairman of the Court.
4. Propose the financial and administrative regulations of the Agency, including the human resources regulation, and have them approved by the Chairman of the Council after the approval of the Chairman of the Court.
5. Propose and prepare the draft annual budget and the final account of the Agency and submit them to the Chairman of the Council for approval, after the approval of the Chairman of the Court, and follow up on the implementation of the budget within the appropriations allocated thereto.
6. Propose the organizational structure of the Agency and have it approved by the Chairman of the Council after the approval of the Chairman of the Court.
7. Propose the executive management of the Agency and have it approved by the Chairman of the Council.
8. Issue the necessary decisions and regulations to ensure the proper workflow in the Agency.
9. Submit periodic reports related to the workflow in the Agency, its achievements, and realized performance, and present them to the Council.
10. Enter into contracts and conclude agreements and memoranda of understanding with third parties in accordance with the applicable legislation.
11. Open bank accounts in the name of the Agency and manage and operate such accounts in accordance with the systems followed by the Agency.
12. Form internal committees and working groups from among the employees of the Agency or others and determine their tasks and working procedures.
13. Appoint experts, consultants, and technicians on a temporary or permanent basis, determine their fees, and terminate their services. The Chairman may seek the assistance of experts, institutions, and consultancy offices they deem appropriate.
14. Any other competences or tasks assigned thereto by the Chairman of the Council or the Chairman of the Court.
The Chairman of the Agency may delegate some of their competences to whomever they deem appropriate from among the senior employees of the Agency, provided that the delegation is in writing and specific.

Without prejudice to the reports that shall be submitted to the Agency by the Competent Entities to document all forms and types of development and foreign aid programs, the Agency's competence to provide technical assistance shall not preclude the Competent Entities from providing such assistance in accordance with the federal or local legislation regulating them.

The financial resources of the Agency shall consist of the following:
1. The annual financial appropriations allocated thereto by the Court.
2. The movable and immovable property allocated thereto pursuant to the legislation in force in the State, and the revenues generated from such property.
3. Donations collected by the Agency in accordance with the legislation in force in the State.
4. Gifts, aid, sponsorships, grants, bequests, and endowments that are consistent with the objectives of the Agency and approved by the Council.
5. Any other resources that are consistent with the objectives of the Agency and approved by the Council.

The fiscal year of the Agency shall begin on the first day of January and shall end on the thirty-first day of December of each year, provided that the first fiscal year of the Agency begins from the date of entry into force of this Decree by Law and ends on the thirty-first day of December of the following year.

The Agency may contract with one of the licensed auditors in the State to audit its accounts and financial statements in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles. A decision on their appointment and the determination of their remuneration shall be issued by the Council in accordance with the legislation in force in the State.

The Agency may own, purchase, or establish any establishment, either independently or in partnership with others, and may provide financial support to companies owned by any of the local or federal government authorities or private companies, in a manner that serves the competences of the Agency and in accordance with the regulations and powers approved by the Council.

The Agency shall replace the organizational units affiliated with the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organizations Affairs at the Ministry, which are concerned with international development affairs, in the exercise of the competencies assigned thereto. All properties, rights, obligations, and the budget of the programs and projects supervised by these units shall be transferred to the Agency.

The employees of the organizational units affiliated with the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organizations Affairs at the Ministry, who are designated by a decision of the Chairman of the Agency after the approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, shall be transferred to the Agency, with their same salaries, financial benefits, and job grades. The legislation in force regarding human resources in the Federal Government shall apply thereto until a new regulation for the Agency is issued. The legislations in force regarding retirement pensions in the Federal Government shall apply to the citizens among them.

All Concerned Authorities in the State shall cooperate with the Agency to enable it to achieve its objectives.

The Chairman of the Agency shall issue the necessary decisions to implement the provisions of this Decree by Law.

Any text or provision that contradicts or conflicts with the provisions of this Decree by Law shall be repealed.

This Decree by Law shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall enter into force as of 1 November 2024.