International Humanitarian City


The International Humanitarian City is a global hub for humanitarian emergency preparedness and response. It is a major logistics centre for the distribution of humanitarian aid. Based in Dubai, UAE, the IHC now hosts nine United Nations agencies and more than 85 NGOs and commercial entities all engaged in delivering aid both in crises and to support long-term economic development. Members range from purely logistics entities to educational, research and media offices.
IHC provides its member organisations with a range of specialised services to facilitate their operations. IHC members have more than 300 staff and 127,000 square metres of warehousing, offices, yards, conference and training facilities. The IHC has also a dedicated space to host evacuated aid workers during violent conflict. Members store a broad range of emergency aid items ranging from water purifiers to portable offices to vehicles. Communications equipment, specialized foods, medicines, tents and blankets form a large part of the inventory. Major users are the UN Humanitarian Response Depot -- an umbrella of a logistics network servicing both the UN and NGO partners.
IHC members have procured and shipped aid from the IHC hub to cope with the ongoing civil conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, flood recovery and educational projects in Pakistan, and recurring drought in East Africa. Assistance is shipped as far away as Latin America and aid was even dispatched from Dubai to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and the 2017 Irma hurricane.

History

An independent free zone authority created by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Government of Dubai through the merger of Dubai Aid City and Dubai Humanitarian City.
It is chaired by Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
The IHC develops projects to solve challenges the humanitarian community faces in the field. Its latest solutions are: The Humanitarian Logistics Databank and the Flash Studio Project.