International Humanitarian City (IHC) welcomed students from Harvard University and American University in Dubai to its warehouses, as part of the 22nd Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Conference field visits.

Being held in the Middle East for the first time, HPAIR 2013 was jointly organized by Harvard University and the American University if Dubai (AUD). Attendees included 500 college student delegates and 150 prominent speakers from around the world. The conference creates a forum of exchange and discussion of the fundamental economic, political and socials issues related to the Asia-Pacific region.

As part of the conference activities, students and delegates from all around the world took part in field visits to some of the most prominent multi-sector destinations in Dubai. Among these were the IHC, which a group of the conference delegates visited to learn more about the International Humanitarian City authority and its members operations, and worksite.

The delegates got a chance to tour the IHC warehouses and learn about the UNHDR and World Food Program’s operations and methodology for shipping aid. The group was given an insightful briefing about the premises and member organizations, as well as the importance of the strategic location and facilities of the IHC. The students were later accompanied to the UNHCR warehouses, where Mr. Soliman M. Daud, Senior Global Supply Officer of UNHCR showed some of the most essential aid items and explained the role of the organization in emergency response for refugee crises. The students engaged in Q&A and exchanged notes on their observations.