Dubai: International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai on Wednesday announced plans to expand in order to continue meeting the growing demand of humanitarian needs around the world.
The announcement was made by chairperson of the (IHC), Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Created in 2003 by Shaikh Mohammad, the IHC was the only humanitarian free zone in the world. In 2007, the IHC became a global humanitarian logistics hub. With a vast warehouse network, it stores, protects and organises aid supplies for its members and facilitates the delivery of this humanitarian aid when called upon.
It has now grown to host nine UN humanitarian agencies, and over 50 international NPOs (non-profit organisations), intergovernmental organisations and commercial companies.
The IHC is now the world’s largest and most active logistics hub, facilitating coordination and collaboration between all the international organisations, and regional and local humanitarian entities in their aid delivery efforts.
“What we are seeing is a growing demand in terms of frequency of response, to more hard to access places,” said Princess Haya.
She explained the IHC is known for its ability to make big single lifts of aid (over 90 tonnes of relief in one single lift) in record response times, normally anywhere between three and 36 hours. The IHC has this tonnage mobilised, loaded and in the air when called upon.
“But Shaikh Mohammad has now guided the board to look at solutions to operate simultaneous smaller aircraft at the same time. Good examples are our emergency response to Vanuatu, where the Boeing 747 could not land close enough to our drop zone. Additionally, we want to be able to respond to several crises at the same time. The frequency of demand for response is increasing, and the demand of our members for delivery is also becoming more frequent,” added Princess Haya.
In June 2016, Princess Haya and the IHC Board began a phase of addressing the internal structure of the organisation in order to expand the IHC operations and reach.
An executive committee was appointed, including Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, as director-general of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Shaibani as secretary-general of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Helal Saeed Al Merri as director-general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing to run the organisation while the recruitment process for a CEO or a new structure is agreed upon.
In the last two months, the IHC has made heavy lifts of emergency aid after being called upon by the United Nations. In September, under the directives of Shaikh Mohammad, an airlift carrying more than 100 tonnes of relief supplies was sent to Entebbe, Uganda on his Boeing-747 to provide assistance to more than 60,000 refugees from South Sudan. In October, the IHC also delivered 90 tonnes of relief supplies on the same Boeing 747 to those affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.
The IHC’s board of directors is working on the implementation of high-level simulation exercises of emergencies, with high demand for warehouses, membership, and increased logistics support. As part of this restructuring, the board will also look to separate logistics, governance and development functions.
It has appointed the well-known logistics adviser, Giuseppe Saba, at the International Humanitarian City for a period of three-six months.
“He is one of the most respected humanitarian logisticians in the world, and I am sure each of the IHC’s members will benefit from his support and guidance. I am greatly looking forward to working with Mr Saba during this coming period, and even more so, to see the IHC rise to an even higher level of performance,” said Princess Haya.
