Dubai - The plane left this morning from Dubai International Airport with around 100 tonnes of aid.
Published: Sat 20 Jun 2020, 9:10 PM
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has marked World Refugee Day by chartering a cargo plane to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Burkina Faso in support of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Destined for Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, the plane left this morning Dubai International Airport with around 100 tonnes of aid, including 88 tonnes of core relief items from UNHCR - 12 tonnes of the cargo will specifically be for assistance with the Covid-19 cases, made available by the World Health Organization (WHO) the front-line organisation fighting the Covid-19 pandemic with all the humanitarian community.
The UNHCR, the global organisation dedicated to saving lives and protecting the rights of refugees, recently declared an emergency in Central Sahel Region for the protection and assistance of more than 600,000 internally displaced people, a number which risks growing significantly in the coming weeks.
"Under the direction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, International Humanitarian City seeks to accommodate, facilitate and assist the people and organisations who serve those in need, so that they may work together, as one force, for the betterment of humanity. This aid flight, delivered in coordination and support of the UNHCR, and the World Health Organization is a perfect example of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's vision for IHC in action" said Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Supervision of International Humanitarian City.
The UNHCR Global Stockpile based in the International Humanitarian City warehouses in Dubai, offers a strategic option to deliver urgently needed aid by air to the emergency operations around the world in general and particularly in Africa. UNHCR is planning to move 24,200 plastic tarps from Dubai Global Stockpile. This humanitarian cargo will be of great support for the displaced people in the Sahel Region.
"UNHCR is proud of its strategic partnership with IHC in Dubai and appreciates this airlift which represents the generosity of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to mark the 2020 World Refugee Day" said Nadia Jbour, Head of UNHCR Office in the UAE.
"This contribution comes very timely, especially in the context of Covid-19 pandemic and the lean season. It will support UNHCR's response to the massive displacement driven by armed violence against civilians in Sahel region, that hosts more than three million refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees" she added.
"The central Sahel region is facing a major humanitarian and protection crisis with limited resources available for humanitarian and development activities. UNHCR just launched 'Sahel Crisis Appeal' to provide life-saving assistance to its persons of concern; focusing on shelter, core relief items, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, education and the environment."
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