Supporting the 1 Billion Meals initiative on Zayed Humanitarian Day, Abu Dhabi Police have mustered AED111 million ($30.22 million) at the second in-person Most Noble Numbers charity auction. The auction were held for special vehicle plate numbers and mobile numbers and the two-day 555 online charity auction.
The proceeds from the charity auction series will go towards the 1 Billion Meals initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the largest in the region to provide food support to the underprivileged and undernourished in 50 countries.
The auctions support the humanitarian goals of the 1 Billion Meals initiative, which is seeking to send one billion messages of hope and solidarity from the UAE to those in need around the world – especially at a time when food prices are rising globally and hunger threatens more than 800 million people.
Journey of more than 50 Years
Major General Khalifa Mohammed Al Khaili, Director of Finance and Services sector at Abu Dhabi Police, confirmed that under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the UAE continues its journey of more than fifty years in charitable and humanitarian work that has impacted various parts of the world.
Coinciding with Zayed Humanitarian Day, the Most Noble Numbers charity auction in Abu Dhabi took place to support the efforts of the 1 Billion Meals initiative, where five special vehicle plate numbers were put for bidding.
The entire proceeds of the auction will go to support the humanitarian goals of the initiative by providing a food safety net that extends from the UAE to those in need in 50 countries across the globe, and address the challenge of hunger that threatens the lives of 800 million people around the world.
Extensive network
He noted that the donations of individuals and organisations to the humanitarian initiative will contribute to creating an extensive network to provide meals to those in need, realising the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to involve all individuals and segments of society in charitable and humanitarian work during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
This will also support the global battle against hunger, as nine million people die of hunger annually, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme, and 55 million people in the Middle East and North Africa suffer from malnutrition.
Record breaking numbers in-person
During the in-person Most Noble Numbers charity auction that took place at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the single-digit vehicle plate number 2 with code 2, was sold for AED23.3 million, while the remaining three double-digit vehicle plate numbers – 11 with code 2, 20 with code 2, and 99 with code 1 – collected AED5 million, AED4.25 million, and AED5 million, respectively. In addition, the three-digit vehicle plate number 999 with code 2 sold for AED1.7 million.
Furthermore, Etisalat’s Diamond mobile numbers collectively sold for a total of AED419,000. Specifically, 547444444 sold for AED160,000, 542244444 for AED55,000, 542422222 for AED52,000, 547799999 for AED52,000, and 567777722 for AED100,000.
In addition, the special mobile numbers put up by du were sold for a total of AED601 ,000 – 589999996 for AED120,000, 586666662 for AED91,000, 581111114 for AED130,000, 582444444 for AED110,000, and 586222222 for AED150,000.
Most valuable numbers online
The 555 online charity auction took place on April 17 and 18, and sold the two-digit special vehicle plate number 88 with code 1 for AED3.9 million, making it the most valuable among the 555 special vehicle plate numbers bid on throughout the two days.
The three-digit vehicle plate number 111 with code 12 sold for AED1.6 million, whereas the four-digit vehicle plate numbers 1111 with code 2 and 8888 with code 1 sold for AED1.4 million and AED1 million, respectively.
The special vehicle plate number 11111 with code 2 sold for AED1.9 million, and vehicle plate number 77777 with code 1 sold for AED1.5 million.
Donation Channels
Donation channels for the 1 Billion Meals initiative include – the campaign’s official website: www.1billionmeals.ae; bank transfer to the campaign’s account at Emirates NBD, number: AE300260001015333439802. Donors can also opt to donate AED1 a day through a monthly subscription by sending “Meal” or “وجبة” via SMS to 1020 on the du network or 1110 on the Etisalat network. Donations can also be made through campaign’s call centre via a toll-free number 8009999.
1 Billion Meals Initiative
The 1 Billion Meals initiative, organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), provides food support in coordination with the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UAE Food Bank, as well as a number of local charity and humanitarian organisations in beneficiary countries. In its efforts to provide food aid to those in need, the initiative contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals, especially to achieve ‘zero hunger’ by 2030.
