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Dubai: New platform helps disaster-affected countries find aid within minutes

The organisation has been involved in sending telecommunication equipment to Sudan to re-establish communication in areas affected by war

A dashboard created by Dubai Humanitarian (DH) allows countries affected by disasters to check for and request aid in just minutes, as opposed to the 7-10 days it used to take earlier.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Giuseppe Saba, the CEO of the nonprofit organisation opened up about the life-changing initiative. “On our website, we started a humanitarian logistic data bank, which was the result of efforts done jointly by different organisations in Dubai."

“Working in corporation with customs, the ministry of foreign affairs and various other organisations, our systems allow a country affected by a disaster to know in less than a minute, which country is holding what kind of stock. It also helps them figure out which is the closest humanitarian arm to them.”

Guiseppe said that previously all countries that needed aid would reach out to the United Nations, which would then start collecting the information about stocks — a process that would take anywhere between seven and ten days.

“The system is operational in Dubai, Italy, and Panama and we are working step by step to increase our partners,” he said. “We are also in touch with governments who have their own preparedness in case of emergencies. If all the systems begin talking to each other, we will be able to spot gaps in resources and plug them accordingly.”

Formerly known as the International Humanitarian City, DH is the largest humanitarian hub in the world. It has over 500 people from almost 70 nationalities working around the clock, according to Saba.

Response to Gaza

Saba said that the DH has responded to the conflict in Gaza since the time it began. “We have sent over 100 shipments with more than 2,000 tonnes of aid which is approximately of the value of $20 million (approximately Dh73.5 million) since the conflict began in October 2023,” he said.

“We have sent shelters, medical items, ready-to-eat food, and storage tanks among other things. The situation there is really critical. We also send special nutritious food for children and mothers who have been impacted by starvation. The aid transits through Egypt and when the borders open from time to time, we ensure that emergency aid passes through," he added.

In addition to Gaza, the organisation also responds to several other conflicts in the region. “The issues in Sudan have been going on for a long time,” he said. “People have almost forgotten it. Same as the issues in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria.”

He said the organisation has been involved in sending telecommunication equipment to Sudan to re-establish communication in areas affected by the war.

Emergency preparedness

Saba likened the DH warehouse in the UAE to a neighbourhood convenience store where all basic necessities are available. “We classify the aid into shelter, water and sanitation, health, education materials, and food among other categories,” he said. “So for example, we have tents and kitchen sets for those who have lost their homes. We also have hygiene kits, tablets to make water clean for drinking purposes, water purification units, latrines, medical kits, and plenty of other things needed in the face of an emergency. We also set up temporary warehouses in these places to store the aid that comes in from various countries.”

He said being located in Dubai has increased the centre's ability to reach various areas. “From Dubai, you can reach two-thirds of the world population in a few hours by flight,” he said. “This ensures a speedy response to most parts including Southeast Asia and North Africa. Also, we have the air network of all the country’s leading airlines as well as the ports at our disposal.”

More than 80 different organisations, including 11 UN organisations like WHO, UNICEF, and other international ones like Red Cross and Red Crescent, are hosted within Dubai Humanitarian.

Protocol

When an emergency strikes, the protocol is that the country affected must request aid — also termed as an international appeal. “As soon as this happens, I send out a WhatsApp message and ask various parties how we can support and what information we have regarding the incident,” he said. “Based on the information we have, the needs of the country are assessed and we mobilise the necessary aid.”

He said that with climate change, the number of natural disasters are increasing. “The number of operations are increasing,” he said. “We are also contributing to mitigating climate change by reducing our own carbon footprint. We also want to improve humanitarian aid and make it more sustainable. Over 10 per cent of the weight we move is in packaging. We have been looking into making this packaging more environment friendly and to avoid plastics.”

He said the increased operations have also brought with it issues of funding. “Traditionally it was world governments that would be the first to contribute,” he said. “But now, we are also reaching out to philanthropists and other private companies. We don’t just want their money. We want them to donate their time and be a part of the humanitarian action. We also want young entrepreneurs with us so that we can prepare a generation of young leaders championing this cause.”

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