DUBAI // The civil war in Syria and the role of women in humanitarian crises are expected to be on the agenda at a conference in Dubai in which a senior European Union official will participate.
“I would like to exchange information on the UAE’s and the EU’s humanitarian response to a number of crises, including Syria,” said Kristalina Georgieva, the EU commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, ahead of her visit on Monday.
Ms Georgieva was invited by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the Minister of International Cooperation and Development, to take part in this year's Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (Dihad).
Ms Georgieva said she wanted to discuss cooperation between the UAE and the EU in responding to humanitarian crises such as that in Syria.
“This is extremely important as the UAE is one of the most institutionally-advanced Gulf donors, and the only Gulf country with a fully-fledged ministry of international cooperation and development,” she said.
The UAE had been increasing its financial contribution, said the EU official. “It hosts the International Humanitarian City, which is the biggest logistics humanitarian hub in the world,” she said.
Ms Georgieva also noted that the UAE was a member of the donor support group of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Last October, she met Sheikha Lubna to discuss bilateral cooperation. At the time, the European Commission (EC) invited the UAE to participate in its "No Lost Generation" campaign, an initiative launched in Washington to support Syrian children.
“We tackled the issue of preventing a lost generation of Syrian children,” said Ms Georgieva, adding that the conflict was blighting the future of Syrian children and depriving them of education.
“They will be needed to rebuild their country when the time comes, but a traumatised, scarred and uneducated generation will not be in a position to do this,” she said.
According to the UN, more than 60,000 people have been killed since the civil war in Syria began, and four million Syrians need food, shelter and other aid. An estimated 700,000 Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries.
In January, several humanitarian organisations, including Unicef, launched “Champion the Children of Syria”, an initiative aimed at improving access to good quality education. They include accelerated curricula for children who have been unable to attend school, vocational training, teacher training and incentive-driven initiatives.
The UAE has pledged more than Dh1 billion in humanitarian aid to Syrians.
Ms Georgieva said the UAE and the EC should work together to coordinate humanitarian aid, noting that the UAE was among the top donors to Syrians and refugees in neighbouring countries, while the EU was the largest donor to Syria’s humanitarian crisis.
The EU official said she would also discuss women in humanitarian aid at Dihad.
“Humanitarian crises are not gender neutral, they have a different impact on women, girls, boys and men,” said Ms Georgieva.
“Women and girls are the most vulnerable in humanitarian situations and it is crucial to remember that women should not systematically be classified as victims.
“They can and do have an important role to play during disasters and often contribute solutions and broker change.”
But the focus should not only be women-centric, she said.
“As humanitarian aid is needs-based and supports the most vulnerable, it cannot focus only on women and girls,” said Ms Georgieva.
“We need to better link up in our joint battle against gender violence to enhance the coordination of our response. It is only through this kind of collaboration that we can make any sort of significant difference.”
The conference runs from Tuesday until Thursday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Ms Georgieva will give a speech on Tuesday at the conference.
cmalek@thenational.ae
