International Humanitarian City
The International Humanitarian City (IHC) 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
The International Humanitarian City (IHC) was founded in 2003 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Emirate of Dubai, through the merger of Dubai Aid City (DAC) and Dubai Humanitarian City (DHC). It is the one and only non-profit, independent, humanitarian free-zone Authority hosting a community of members which are UN organisations, international non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations, and commercial companies.
The International Humanitarian City is one of the member entities under the umbrella of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).