Dubai: A three-day training workshop for personnel working in the field of humanitarian response in the UAE opened on Monday at the International Humanitarian City (IHC) here.
It will be hosted by emergency response experts with significant experience in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The International Humanitarian City (IHC), the UAE Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), opened the workshop titled ‘Responding to Emergencies’.
The workshop is based on the content of the bilingual Arabic-English manual of the same name published by UN OCHA and OCFA in 2011.
Participants will acquire tools for emergency preparedness, planning and response, including conducting needs assessments, analysing and sharing information, and coordinating in the field.
The workshop is facilitated by Sarah Al Khazin, a humanitarian consultant, and Majid Abu Kubi and Mustafa Shabib, representatives of the UN OCHA in the Gulf and Yemen respectively.
Sultan Al Shamsi, executive director of OCFA, said: “UAE humanitarian organisations are among the first to respond to emergencies. In 2011 alone, the UAE spent a total of Dh625.3 million on humanitarian aid in 30 countries.”
In support of these humanitarian organisations, OCFA, IHC and UN OCHA have formed a partnership to provide donors with the basic tools needed to respond effectively to emergencies, Al Shamsi said.
