The Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD 2023) kicked off its 19th edition yesterday at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme 'Energy and Aid: Capitalising on Available Resources'.
Participants at the Dihad Conference and Exhibition have said that fostering partnerships is one of the most important elements of success for the humanitarian field.
“Dihad stands for 19 years of achievements for humanity, for people, for everybody. There are more than 828 organisations which are part of Dihad – they could be an organisation, a foundation, a college, continuous education, a special project for sustainability, you name it. We are happy for this achievement, and we are looking forward to next year,” said Dr Abdul Salam Al Madani, Roving Ambassador for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean for the GCC, Chairman of Dihad Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation and Chairman of Index Holding.
In the opening ceremony, he emphasised the UAE’s commitment to supporting humanitarian missions around the world. “Through international collaboration, we seek to support humanity in maintaining sustainable economies and livelihoods. This year’s edition is set to highlight the importance of energy and aid,” he said.
Stressing the importance of partnerships, Giuseppe Saba, CEO of the International Humanitarian City (IHC), said that while they do bring to Dihad 20 years of experience in the humanitarian field, they are looking into the future and how to best serve those in need in the next decade. “How can we better use partnerships, how we can involve the private sector more and more? Humanitarian action is not the property of organisations like the UN only. The private sector is getting more and more involved because there are costs and needs that need to be covered by partnerships,” he explained, adding, “we need to do it together.”
Giuseppe said the IHC is an expression for partnership. “In this conference, we want to reinforce partnership with the private sector. Those who have the technology, innovation, manufacturers of humanitarian aid — ones that are sustainable and do not create additional environmental problems. Partnerships is the focus,” he said, adding that they are also implementing partnerships with academic institutions. “We need to know how to work together... all of us, this is the future.”
Being strategic in philanthropy and collaborating is key according to Danah Dajani, director of Partnerships and Programmes at the Abdullah Al Ghurair Foundation, which manages and administers the Abdulaziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund. “It’s all about strategic philanthropy and how you can be innovative in resources. This fund was created to look at philanthropy through a strategic lens. We support 20 organisations on the ground, and we reached 62,000 people, hence achieving our target threefold since the original target in 2018 when we were established was to reach 20,000 refugees,” she said.
