UNHCR chief thanks United Arab Emirates for helping the forcibly displaced

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, November 25 (UNHCR) - UN High Commissioner António Guterres has paid a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he thanked the authorities for supporting UNHCR operations to assist forcibly displaced people around the world.

"I am very thankful for the support we are receiving from the UAE leadership and people, something that demonstrates the rich giving traditions that are well established in this country," Guterres told UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

He reiterated UNHCR's gratitude for the support of the UAE in helping the forcibly displaced during a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, head of the UAE Red Crescent.

The United Arab Emirates is becoming a leading donor to UNHCR and has recently been invited to join the 20+ million club, UNHCR's informal forum for major donors.

During his time in Abu Dhabi, the High Commissioner also delivered a presentation at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research on the comparative study, "The Right to Asylum between Islamic Shari'ah and International Refugee Law."

The book, co-sponsored by UNHCR and written by Cairo University law professor Ahmed Abu Al-Wafa, demonstrates the common content of asylum in Arab customs, Islamic Sharia'ah and international humanitarian law.

The High Commissioner also visited Qatar.