An Emirati minister has spoken about how needy communities can play a crucial role in addressing humanitarian challenges – as major funding cuts hamper aid efforts around the world.
Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, said people in crisis and disaster-stricken areas should be given support under a mission to transform “recipients of aid into active participants in development”.
Ms Al Shamsi set out her vision for the future at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition on Monday. She told of how investing in education and specialised training of refugees could drastically reduce the burden on countries and offer a lifeline to families.
“It is essential to explore economic alternatives that empower them, transforming them from recipients of aid into active participants in development rather than mere contributors,” she said. Ms Al Shamsi cited the UAE's work with Mauritania, in north-west Africa to reduce maternal mortality by training women as midwives.
About 30 women have undergone six months of training as midwives to curtail the number of deaths among women and children during childbirth. She said such programmes demonstrated the value of investing in the skills and capabilities of people within vulnerable communities.
“Empowering this human capital is vital, as they are partners in this transformation and uniquely capable of finding solutions, especially if they are empowered in the field of technology, encouraged to innovate and their capabilities strengthened to face all circumstances,” she said.
Global aid challenges
The call to harness people power comes as humanitarian aid organisations grapple with a sustained drop in funding for their essential work.
“Humanitarian resources are stretched and the gap between what we know how to do and what we have the resources to do is becoming dangerously wide,” Rania Dagash-Kamara, assistant executive director for partnerships and innovation at the World Food Programme, said during the two-day event, being held at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Ready to respond
Ms Al Shamsi also highlighted the need to prepare women in conflict-prone areas for displacement and other risks before emergencies occur.
“It is illogical to wait for danger to occur before finding ways to deal with it. Rather, proactive preparation is necessary, providing women, in particular, with training opportunities to confront any danger such as displacement or forced migration,” Ms Al Shamsi said.
She spoke of the vision of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, for the protection and training of women in conflict zones and for addressing the dangers of forced migration.
She stressed that protection training should be integrated into existing programmes for women in areas where forced migration and armed conflicts are likely to occur.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 41 million refugees worldwide.
Critical partnerships
For the World Food Programme, partnerships were critical to changing lives and rebuilding dignity.
Ms Kamara said better data and technology could save lives through early warning systems that prevent catastrophe in the event of floods, cyclones and other natural disasters.
“Technology and innovation help us to reach people faster, target assistance and make scarce resources go further,” she said.
She said continued co-operation with countries such as the UAE was important in responding to emergencies and reaching vulnerable populations.
“The UAE is a key partner for us who has, together with us, responded to emergencies, advocated for the most vulnerable, and worked alongside us to overcome some of the world’s most difficult challenges,” Ms Kamara said.
Being prepared for crises
Ahmed Al Muhairi, director general of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), Dubai, said the humanitarian sector needed to move from crisis management to preparedness.
He said the shift would be from providing assistance to community empowerment, and from individual action to integration, partnership and trust, to help the world face the current set of natural disasters and economic crises.
“The question today is not related to the volume of expenses or how many projects we have done. Real humanitarian action is not measured in relation to the size of resources or by the number of initiatives but is measured by regaining hope and empowerment for a better life,” Mr Al Muhairi said.
The Dihad conference is in its 22nd year and addresses how governments and organisations can work together to address displacement caused by armed conflict and climate-related disasters that are becoming more frequent.
