The International Humanitarian City (IHC) recently hosted the Supreme Advisory Committee meeting for the Annual Conference on Effective Partnership and Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action which is held annually in the State of Kuwait. This conference aims to improve humanitarian response, through promoting effective partnerships between governments, humanitarian institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. In light of the current situations in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar and West Africa, the participants representing local, regional and international bodies agreed on the importance of information exchange, efficient coordination and cooperation to achieve timely humanitarian response, while avoiding duplication of efforts and resources.
The Supreme Advisory Committee meeting was held in the presence of HE Ambassador Atta Al Manan Bahkit, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HE Dr. Ahmed Al-Meraikhi, Acting Director of the International Development Department in the State of Qatar, HE Dr. Abdul Aziz Yousef Hamza, President of the GCC Emergency Management Center in Saudi Arabia, HE Dr. Nabil Tarkait, General Manager of Direct Aid in the State of Kuwait, HE Dr. Sulaiman Shams Eldeen, General Director of the International Islamic Charitable Organization in Kuwait, HE Dr. Mustafa Al Sayed, Secretary-General of Charitable Organization in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Khalid Khalifa, Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Gulf, Mr. Nabil Al Thahry, representing the UAE Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid and Shaima Al Zarooni, Chief Executive Officer of the International Humanitarian City.
The IHC Chief Executive Officer welcomed the Advisory Committee members to the IHC, subsequently Mr. Khalid Khalifa, the Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Dubai gave an opening note. The committee members reviewed the outcomes and recommendations of the last conference and Dr. Suliman Shams ElDeen, the General Director of the International Islamic Charitable Organization facilitated discussions on pragmatic means of activating these recommendations in light of the given resources.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs presented updates since the last conference convened and discussed the most significant outcomes. The attendees also deliberated effective utilization of the Arab portal for Humanitarian Affairs at the institutional level as well as humanitarian actors in the field and in the Arabian Gulf region.
The meeting was concluded with a tour of the IHC warehouses from which international organizations operate their humanitarian operations from Dubai. The tour included visits to the warehouses of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Committee members expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, arising from the exceptional vision to enhance the humanitarian work through the establishment of the International Humanitarian City, which is deemed to be the largest humanitarian logistics hub internationally.

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