HRH Princess Haya Attends IHC Members Global Meeting

Government of Dubai Media Office, 19 March 2017

Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City (IHC) HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today opened the IHC’s Members Global Meeting organized by its newly appointed CEO and leading logistics expert, Giuseppe Saba, under the theme ‘ONE for Humanity’.

Attending the meeting were UN Agencies, NGOs, commercial entities as well as a few observers who gathered for a one-day workshop to exchange views on the future of the IHC, and ways to collectively work better to best serve those in need.

As part of Her opening remarks, HRH Princess Haya officially welcomed Mr. Saba to the IHC, highlighting not only his past experience, but also his ambition to match the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as the IHC Board of Directors. HRH Princess Haya also took a moment to thank the members of the IHC for their support and understanding over the last 6-9 months, as the City has taken – and continues to take – on a major expansion initiative previously announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed.

Mr. Saba, who spoke after HRH Princess Haya, presented the details of the ongoing restructure as well as the IHC’s expansion plan. Together, HRH Princess Haya and Mr. Saba then answered a few questions from the members.

The one-day workshop included three working groups involving the City’s members, and facilitated by their representatives. The first group titled ‘Sharing Knowledge, Experience, and Expertise’ discussed ways the City can co-locate together humanitarians, foundations, commercial companies, young entrepreneurs, innovators, emerging talents and future humanitarian leaders with Masters in humanitarian studies.

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The second group titled ‘IHC Dubai – Simply the largest Humanitarian Logistics Platform or the City of all Humanitarians’, focused on: overcoming the bottlenecks its’ members face; providing recommendations on how to improve IHC’s service levels and operations, and, last but not least, communicating the right messages through the right “ambassadors” – the members of IHC.

The third working group focused more on the operational reorganization of IHC, its’ expansion plan, and ways it could facilitate emergency preparedness and capacity response, by using all resources available

The International Humanitarian City (IHC), created in 2003 by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and established as a free zone in 2007, is the largest and most efficient logistics centre for aid worldwide. It has the most diverse membership base, including UN organisations, NGOs and commercial companies, and provides its members with the following services: facilitating emergency preparedness; response and evacuation; licensing and one-stop-shop for all government services; secure and cost efficient warehouses and offices; access to partnerships and fundraising; the development of a humanitarian data bank and innovation lab, and visibility and support for their major projects.

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© Press Release 2017