UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, organised a two-day visit to New Delhi, in cooperation with The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), to assess the Afghan, Rohingya and Chin refugees, identifying their basic needs and reviewing the efforts being made to help them cope with the difficult circumstances.

The visit also sought to highlight the impact of joint humanitarian and development programmes implemented by MBRGI and UNHCR in India.

The delegation included Mohammed Al Yamahi, Project Director at MBRGI; Saudi artist and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Aseel Omran; and Bisan Salameh, Private Sector Partnerships Officer at UNHCR. Together, they visited Afghan, China, and Rohingya refugee families in India to highlight their stories of resilience and express solidarity.

During the visit, MBRGI delegation and Aseel Omran toured the Bosco Community Centre in New Delhi. They attended a UNHCR briefing on its activities in India and its cooperation with MBRGI in supporting refugees through livelihoods and food assistance projects. They also learned about initiatives and projects run by refugees - which are supported by MBRGI - to improve their living conditions and livelihoods.

The delegation met with families benefiting from projects implemented by MBRGI and UNHCR to discuss ways to further develop these programmes, enhance their efficiency, and expand their reach. They also took part in food distribution activities at the Bosco Community Centre, in addition to delivering food rations to refugee families’ places of residence for vulnerable groups unable to visit the community centre.

As part of the visit to India, Mohammed Al Yamahi and Aseel Omran visited small refugee-run projects, where they learned about their objectives, operations, and the challenges faced by those managing it.

Ibrahim Al Balooshi, Director of Sustainability and Partnerships at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, stressed that MBRGI is committed to intensifying its efforts to assist forcibly displaced people worldwide by launching ambitious programmes that responds to refugees’ basic needs, empower them with skills, and enable them to manage small-scale projects. These initiatives, he said, help ease the burden of displacement and improve living conditions in various sectors such as food, education, and healthcare.

He added, “Our visit to India was an important opportunity to shed light on the daily lives of refugees and their needs. It also aimed to assess the impact of our joint projects with UNHCR in India and explore ways to expand their reach.”

On her part, Bisan Salameh, Private Sector Partnerships Officer at UNHCR, said, “Our close cooperation with MBRGI is a model for aligning efforts to achieve noble humanitarian goals. Since our partnership began in 2021, UNHCR has been able to assist hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons in Asia and Africa, thanks to MBRGI’s generous support.”

She noted that the MBRGI delegation’s visit to India created new opportunities to strengthen collaboration, assess joint programmes and achievements, and explore expanding initiatives that benefit refugees in India.

Aseel Omran said, “This visit to forcibly displaced communities was a deeply human experience. We heard powerful stories from refugees, learned about their dreams and aspirations, and the challenges they face far from their homes. Over two intensive days, we connected closely with their struggles and recognised their profound need for psychological support.”

She praised the UAE and MBRGI for their vital role in supporting refugees and their consistent commitment to assisting UNHCR in providing food, medicine, shelter, and educational infrastructure for displaced communities.

The cooperation between MBRGI and UNHCR in supporting displaced people in India is part of a wider partnership that began in 2021. Since then, MBRGI has been one of UNHCR’s main contributors, providing AED136 million (about US$37 million) by the end of 2024. This support benefitted more than 750,000 refugees, displaced persons, and host community members across Asia and Africa.

The funds were allocated to humanitarian relief and sustainable development programmes in Asia and Africa.

More specifically in India, MBRGI’s contributions have reached more than AED29.7 million (US$ 8.1 million) supporting more than 100,000 refugees in India, empowering families through livelihoods interventions, and enhancing refugees’ wellbeing through food assistance.

In January 2025, MBRGI pledged an additional AED36.7 million (US$10 million) to support sustainable programmes and projects for displaced communities through UNHCR, bringing its total commitments since 2021 to AED173 million (around US$47 million).

MBRGI, the largest foundation of its kind in the region dedicated to humanitarian, relief, philanthropic, and community work, spent over AED2.2 billion in 2024, reaching nearly 149 million people in 118 countries. Its efforts span five key pillars: humanitarian and relief aid, healthcare and disease control, education and knowledge dissemination, innovation and future leadership, and community empowerment.