 |
| Dubai Aid City will help
the international aid community cut response
times and save costs – allowing agencies
to deliver more aid faster to those in greatest
need. |
Dubai has announced plans to stage the Dubai International
Humanitarian Aid & Re-Development Conference
and Exhibition – DIHAD 2004 – in support
of its efforts to become a global center for the
aid community. DIHAD 2004 will be held in Dubai
International Exhibition Center from April 6-8 of
next year. It will be the first time such a major
aid convention has been held in the Middle East.
A host of international companies, establishments
and authorities are participating in this event,
which organizers plan to hold on annual basis in
Dubai.
The decision to inaugurate DIHAD is a reaction to
the overwhelmingly positive response of the international
aid community to Dubai Aid City. In addition to the
major UN bodies, several local and international Non-Government
Organizations have expressed interest in setting up
logistic hubs at Dubai Aid City.
Several international and regional organizations have
already revealed interest in setting up regional offices,
warehousing facilities, and distribution hubs at Dubai
Aid City.
The twin initiatives of DIHAD and Dubai Aid City build
upon the UAE’s strong track record in the field
of humanitarian support. “Our distinction is
the ability to serve our homeland and deal with its
issues,” says General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Defense Minister
of the UAE. “Our country’s foreign policy
focuses on providing aid to the oppressed, who are
denied their rights.
“It supports human rights and promotes peace
and justice in all parts of the globe, endorsing the
principle of providing security and food to all people,”
he adds. “The UAE has won the respect of all
UN members for being a peace-loving country, promoting
and urging stability and peace throughout the world…and
for supporting the policy of self-determination for
all nations.”
The aid industry is one of the largest and fastest
growing in the world. The total value of aid is valued
at around $111 billion per year – a figure that
is rising all the time. As such, it is vital that
aid agencies and others working in the field are given
a platform to meet and discuss ways to develop and
grow the sector. DIHAD aims to provide that vehicle.
During the last Aid and Trade Exhibition, which took
place in January 2003 in Geneva, major figures within
the sector stressed that agencies must explore increasing
levels of co-operation and coordination to deliver
more effective solutions. The conference featured
topics that explored the changing and dynamic nature
of aid, relevant to logistics involved in its delivery.
For example, most of the purchasing for UN Agencies
is done in Europe, which has proved to be an expensive
exercise. Alternatives must be sought. DIHAD hopes
to contribute to the debate within the aid sector
– with the ultimate goal of alleviating suffering
around the world.
Dubai Aid City will cater to the humanitarian industry
from a 700,000 square meter plot at the south expansion
of the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority. It will include
offices, pre-built warehouses, cargo, and trucking
facilities. An aid museum, relief aid related exhibitions,
seminars, and other media information groups will
figure prominently at Dubai Aid City. The project
is due for completion in 2005. |
