The International Humanitarian City (IHC) in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Dubai, launched the regional trainingon “Emergency Management”, which is held for the first time in the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates, in cooperation with a large number of federal and local government departments and institutions, including Dubai Police, Dubai Ambulance, DubaiCustoms and Watani.

The training targets participants representing the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, Emirates Red Crescent, Dubai Police, UAE Watani Programme, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities and the National Emergency Crises and Disaster Management, also it includes number of other humanitarian organizations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

This training comes in the framework of strengthening partnership and cooperation between the UNHCR and IHC in order to respond effectively to emergencies and falls in line with the IHC Strategy 2015- 2021 through the platform (Connect: Humanity) which aims to position IHC as a host for major international and humanitarian events and organizer of innovative workshops addressing the challenges faced by workers in the humanitarian field, and enrich the emergency response experience of all segments of the UAE society.

The workshop was inaugurated by H.E. ShaimaAl Zarooni, IHC CEO and the UNHCR’s Acting Regional Representative to the GulfCooperation Council (GCC) countries, Mr. Nabil Othman.

“The IHC is proud to join hands with the UNHCR in augmenting the GCC region’s emergency capacity,” said Shaima Al Zarooni, CEO of IHC. “With various humanitarian crisis reaching an unprecedented level and crises elsewhere around the world, there is an increased urgency for comprehensive and effective training in emergency response management and holding the training session in the GCC is a critical step that reflect the GCC commitment towards the international humanitarian response”.

The workshop is taking place at the IHC premises till the 25th of January. Around 25 emergency response professionals are participating in the eight-day training which includes three nights camping in a simulated humanitarian crisis situation. Upon completion of the training, participants will be able to respond to international emergencies with increased capacity, apply key emergency standards and indicators in emergency operations planning and implementation, manage personal and team security on disaster and humanitarian crisis sites and function successfully with other international humanitarian actors within humanitarian clusters and international emergency response standers.

Mr. Othman conveyed UNHCR’s gratitude to Dubai Government and the IHC for hosting the training. “This collaborative training as a crucial step towards enhancing emergency response capacity in the Gulf region,” Mr. Othman said. “This workshop is an indication of the UAE’s engagement in humanitarian affairs and its effort to ensure that its nationalsand all GCC countries are in a better position to adequately respond during a humanitarian crisis alongside other global humanitarian actors.”

“Emergency preparedness and response is central to UNHCR’s mandate and given the multiplicity of emergencies worldwide, being able to rush aid and experts to an affected zone without delay is essential,” Othman added. “Noting the size and scale of these emergencies, this can only be done with the support of our partners, including those within the GCC.”

The workshop is modeled after UNHCR’s longstanding training exercise held at regular intervals throughout the year in Germany, Norway, Sweden and commencing later this year in Senegal UNHCR has fielded specialist trainers from its Global Learning Centre in Budapest to manage the exercise as well as experienced resource persons from Amman, Beirut and Riyadh to support the training. The IHC and UNHCR committed to conduct the first regional emergency training in the UAE.

Established in 2003 by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) has grown to become the world’s largest and busiest logistics hub for humanitarian aid within UN agencies and nearly 50 NGOs and commercial entities as members. UNHCR established a presence at the IHC in 2006.

For further information, please contact: Mohammed Abu Asaker Public Information and Communications Officer

Mobile:00971 50 621 3552

Tel: 00971 266 77 668

Email: abuasaker@unhcr.org

Website: www.unhcr.org