(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the 2015-2021 strategy for the International Humanitarian City (IHC) at its headquarters in Dubai. Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, were also present.
In a recorded message, Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed his gratitude to the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid for their exceptional humanitarian accomplishments. He also praised the UAE for its prominent role and its commitment to work with the UN. He went on to reiterate the UN's support for IHC.
Established in 2003 by Shaikh Mohammed, the IHC has grown to become the world's largest logistics hub for humanitarian aid with UN agencies and other NGOs and commercial entities as members.
Shaikh Mohammed with Shaikha Lubna (far right); Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, (extreme left); Baroness Valerie Amos (2nd from right); and Ertharin Cousin (behind) at the International Humanitarian City-Strategy Launch on Monday. - KT photo by Leslie Pableo
IHC puts Dubai's expertise in transport and logistics to work for aid agencies as they reach out to help the victims of crises and families whose lives are marred by hunger and poverty.
Shaima Al Zarooni, IHC CEO, in a statement after the launch, said the IHC has become the reliable international centre for humanitarian assistance in the Middle East and Africa. Over the past decade, IHC has delivered humanitarian assistance to the tune of more than Dh1 billion in total. She added that assistance is usually delivered within three to seven hours with Al Maktoum International Airport as the base.
Four-pronged IHC strategy
Al Zarooni said IHC hosts representatives of more than 60 international humanitarian organisations. According to her, the strategy consists of four main pillars:
Connect - wherein programmes will be set up to engage Dubai and UAE society, and a world Humanitarian Forum will be held in the UAE every two years; Innovate - wherein IHC will contribute to the goals of the Dubai Smart City and Dubai 2021 plan; Lead - that comprises a first-of-its-kind advisory board chaired by Shaikh Mohammed and IHC vice-president Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region and president of the Emirates Red Crescent; Partner - IHC will facilitate CSR partnerships by organising private sector events and launching the first International Humanitarian Impact Fund.
As a seed of encouragement, this vision was greatly boosted by a generous donation of Dh1 million from Shaikh Mohammed.
Shaikh Mohammed toured the photo gallery exhibition that showcases the life-changing impact of aid provided by the UN and other international humanitarian organisations based in the IHC.
He stated that the UAE, under the leadership of Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed, will always remain a source of humanitarian goodness and charity, being the legacy of the founding father, the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
He said: "IHC's strategy is a roadmap with definite features, goals, objectives and work mechanisms through 2021."
Present at the ceremony were Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Emirates Group; Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Cooperation; Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the GCC; Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme;Baroness Valerie Amos, United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and a number of senior officials and UN representatives.
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