The International Humanitarian City (IHC) celebrated today 19th August the World Humanitarian Day 2020 at IHC compound in Dubai. Attended by the UAE’s Minister of the State for International Cooperation, and some Diplomats credited to the UAE, the event was attended by the International Humanitarian Community represented by some representatives of UN Agencies and international humanitarian organisations.
The celebrations have been opened by a video-speech of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who emphasized the reason behind dedicating this year’s World Humanitarian Day to the (Real-Life Heroes) combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The UNSG underlined that “This year, humanitarian workers are stretched like never before. They are responding to the global crisis of COVID-19, and with it the massive increase in humanitarian needs from the fallout of the pandemic.”
After a welcome note from the IHC-CEO Mr Giuseppe Saba, a panel discussion moderated by Vice-President; Editor-in-Chief, CNN Arabic & IHC Board member Ms. Caroline Faraj, took place to discuss “The Challenges of Humanitarian community in the age of COVID-19”.
The Panel composed by: Her Excellency Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and IHC Board member, His Excellency Andrea Matteo Fontana EU’s Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Dr. Waleed Al-Ali, Advisor at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives -(MBRGI) and Mr. Mageed Yahia, Country Director WFP and Representative to the GCC Region went into a depth analysis of the current humanitarian scenarios impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Other, diplomats and senior members of humanitarian organizations and Media representatives attended the event. Social distancing measures and safety procedures imposed a limited number of attendees. During the event, guests were also able to explore the relief items from various humanitarian organizations available on display.
The event was broadcasted live on IHC YouTube channel to enable audience members to join in remotely. The full event is available for viewing on IHC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/isjNBkatGYc
The World Humanitarian Day is held each year on August 19 to commemorate the deaths of 22 people during a bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003.