On behalf of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity Est., it gives me the honour to invite you to participate in the 16th edition of the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition

DIHAD 2020 to be held in Dubai from 10-12 March 2020. As an active charity foundation in the UAE, we are proud to support DIHAD in all its activities where we can grow and share experiences with the regional and international humanitarian community.

With a world blighted by suffering and poverty, we wish to further facilitate the work of local and regional humanitarian actors to meet with the ultimate goal of reducing suffering around the world.

Over the last decade, the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD) – the first humanitarian aid and development event in the middle east, has played a key role in promoting the exchange of humanitarian ideas, values and practices.

DIHAD comes at a time when the world of humanitarian aid is consistently challenged by a series of humanitarian crisis and natural disasters.

For its 17^th edition, DIHAD is being held under the theme ‘Aid, a focus on Africa’. While there are many challenges and conflicts in Africa, the UAE stands out as a beacon of hope, proving itself to be a model for positive change and a world leader in disbursing humanitarian aid. DIHAD aims to draw inspiration from UAE’s core principles of tolerance and cooperation and contribute for the betterment of people in need.

In line with its continuing legacy, DIHAD will continue to advance the principles of sustainable humanitarian aid and strengthen its role as a key platform for humanitarian aid. In its upcoming edition, DIHAD is expected to witness the participation of over 600 top humanitarian organizations, authorities, donors, local and international aid associations and NGO’s, from over 80 countries and it is expected to attract over 15,000 visitors and participants.

Running parallel to the conference, the DIHAD exhibition will provide UN organizations, NGO’s and world-renowned aid agencies, a great opportunity to showcase their latest services and share their real-life experiences in helping the victims of humanitarian crisis around the world.  >>>Read More

Much has been said and written about the role of Aid in Africa; a variety of recipes and perspectives for the sustainable development of this vast continent, home to some 1.3 billion people, in 54 countries. What has actually been learnt from past successes and failures? And what roles do the volume and type of aid play in Africa’s trajectory towards progress? Financial flows in and out of Africa are a central part of the debate. According to the OECD, Africa receives the lion’s share of Official Development Assistance (ODA) – some 50 billion US dollars or a third of all global ODA (the main donors including the USA, EU institutions, the World Bank and the UAE). There are questions about channels, participation, conditions, priorities, oversight and accountability, inter alia. Do debt payments and so-called « repatriated profits » outweigh incoming aid and remittances? In any case, the debate often remains somewhat theoretical, omitting to address the specificities of individual countries and situations.

Humanitarian aid in the context of conflicts and disasters, to which the continent is much prone, continues to be essential and on the whole effective, even if insufficient. Africa is currently rife with conflicts and these have profound adverse effects on the development of the countries concerned and the region as a whole. They lead to forced migration, long-term refugee situations and internal displacement, the destruction of infrastructure and the deterioration of social, political and economic institutions. In these situations, some seemingly endless, aid is mostly basic and aimed at the victims of war. Assistance in support of the eradication of poverty, an equitable distribution of resources, the promotion of rule of law and fundamental human rights, education and employment is very much beyond the immediate horizon.

Then there is climate change, and its repercussions on the African continent. These range from extreme heat events and increasing aridity to changes in rainfall patterns and floods; a higher frequency and a greater impact of a variety of weather-related disasters for which few nations are adequately prepared. Already high rates of undernutrition can be expected to increase and agricultural livelihoods to be adversely affected, thereby accelerating the already significant urbanization trend in the region. >>>Read More