Date : 25/03/2014
DUBAI, March 25 (KUNA) -- Under auspices of UAE Vice-President and Prime
Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 11th
edition of Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and
Exhibition (DIHAD-2014) kicked off here on Tuesday.
United Nations Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of International
Humanitarian City Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein opened the three-day gathering
in the presence of dozens of representatives of local, regional and
international relief agencies.
The conference, themed "woman and relief - impact of disasters on woman and
her role in crisis response," discusses the obstacles facing the provision of
relief materials to the vulnerable people in crisis-hit areas, notably Syria.
Addressing the opening session, Princes Haya said: "What we have to do now
is to deliver aid to women and their families affected by conflicts regardless
of their social or traditional backgrounds."
Princes Haya, wife of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attributed the
failure of some relief programs to the attempts of the donors to impose
certain social views on the aid recipients or attach certain conditions, and
sometimes threats, to aid.
On her part, UAE Minister of International Cooperation and Development
Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi said DIHAD has become an international
umbrella for strengthening the humanitarian response to emergencies and
disasters worldwide.
The conference will explore ways for improving the networking among the
local, regional and international aid agencies, beside holding special
sessions on Syria.
It gathers representatives of 330 aid agencies and companies, including WFP
Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, European Commissioner for International
Cooperation,Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response (ECHO) Kristalina Georgieva,
Vice-President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
and Societies (IFRC) Baige Zhao, and Chief of Syria Field Relief and Social
Services Program of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
(UNRWA) Amneh Al-Saqer. (end)
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