In 2011, Dubai Humanitarian was relocated into its current strategic location near Al Maktoum Airport and close to Jebel Ali Port, by tripling its size from the previous 30,000 square meters to 90,000 square meters and giving members the ability to move shipments from sea to air in as little as 10 minutes.

Today, Dubai Humanitarian offices and warehouses have further expanded to 135,000 square meters in size.

Dubai Humanitarian together with its community is continuing its journey by preparing itself for any new challenges, creating new synergies and partnerships with innovators, in addition to partnering with private sector players operating with high-level standards. Dubai Humanitarian is also partnering with academic institutions, to share knowledge and experiences to create opportunities for preparing the future generation of humanitarian workers.

Law No. 1 for 2012 mandatesthe International Humanitarian City to "proactively support the efforts of the Humanitarian Community":

1. Establish the Emirate as a hub for providing humanitarian aid in emergencysituations and for disaster relief, through securing the logistic infrastructure,facilities,and services required to enable Humanitarian Service Establishments basedin the City to achieve their objectives across the globe;
2. Support, encourage and develop Humanitarian Services, as well as charitable andenvironmental services through inviting, attracting, and licensing HumanitarianService Establishments specialised in this area, to the extent that this does notconflict with the legislation in force in the Emirate;
3. Ensure quick and effective response in case of disasters and emergency situations,and provide, whether directly by the Authority or through City Establishments, thenecessary organised relief to parties in need of such relief at the international level;
4. Create a favourable environment that supports humanitarian activities.

Launch of the Strategy for 2015 – 2020 and the Global Humanitarian Impact Fund (GHIF)

Dubai Humanitarian launched in 2020 its semi-automated kitting centre, in a joint partnership between Dubai Humanitarian and WHO. this semi-automated Kitting Centre has been set up for humanitarian organization members of Dubai Humanitarian to assemble their emergency and relief kits to be delivered in need to the countries around the world.

DNATA contributed with handling equipment to facilitate cargo movement within the premises. And Dubai Humanitarian contracted a third-party service provider based on competition Kuehne and Nagel, for the full management of the kiting centre including its maintenance.

The Kitting Centre is fitted with a system working on a synergy of powered roller infeed conveyors, diverters, carton flow racks and pallet conveyors. The system allows to operate diverters separately and can be switched to manual. Each diverter accommodates 4 stations, allowing 4 teams to work simultaneously. The system is also equipped with gravity rollers contributing to energy savings.

By providing members with a kitting facility, we will ultimately move emergency response towards being just-in-time, reduce storage space, eliminates preparation time, increasing efficiency and reducing time and cost of assembly options.

In order to provide proper long-term storage of vaccines, medical items and other relevant commodities; Dubai Humanitarian launched its 500sqm cold-chain facility, enabling efficient storage and preparations for emergency responses.

Each unit of the cold chain facility will have its own equipment such as compressors and splits that will operate individually, in a more cost and efficient power saving manner.

The units will cater for proper insulation of the cold pipelines, storage room walls and ceiling. Minimization of energy losses by partition of cooling areas and installation or effective use of air curtains and allowing to be operated individually to ensure efficiency in usage and utilities.

The First Conference for the Hosting Countries of World’s Humanitarian Hubs.

A Call to Action for a Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain.

On the margins of COP28, Dubai Humanitarian organized two events to expand collaborations and promote sustainability within the humanitarian field:

1. The First Conference for the Hosting Countries of World's Humanitarian Hubs (in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
2. A Call to Action for a Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain

We are now Dubai Humanitarian – previously known as the International Humanitarian City.

Dubai Humanitarian has an unwavering commitment to positively impact humanity and uphold human dignity. We enable the global humanitarian community, through innovation, collaboration, and connection, to build a more sustainable future for all people.

Our mission is to lead the global humanitarian logistics network in preparedness and response to world crises, while proactively collaborating using innovation, communication and actionable knowledge, to save lives. We support the global humanitarian network, connecting with governments and global partners, to maximise our collective impact in sustainable humanitarianism.