Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) represented the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the first World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, Turkey, which commenced the other day. WHS is a global call to action by Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon and will combine more than 100 governments, world leaders, aid companies, civil society, humanitarian companies, the private sector and other partners to declare solidarity with individuals influenced by crises, to minimize human suffering and to assert their cumulative commitment to mankind.

The UAE's participation at the World Humanitarian Summit shows its dedication and active function in humanitarian aid efforts and in discovering sustainable options to today's humanitarian challenges. As a member organisation with an important function in the United Nations, the IHC takes fantastic pride in representing the UAE at the Summit, which has highlighted the country's commitment to development and collaboration as central elements of future humanitarian practices-- themes that are at the centre of IHC's required as the world's largest humanitarian hub.

These commitments were presented throughout the Summit's top-level roundtable sessions, where HE Moosa Al Hashemi, IHC CEO stated that: "The United Arab Emirates is committed to implementing our 'Agenda for Humanity' to guarantee a thriving future for all humanity." He added: "IHC is keen to focus on innovation, collaborations and preparedness, which are concepts that also resonate with the UAE's Dubai Plan 2021 and our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAAIC) and come at a crucial time in response to the progressively challenging humanitarian landscape."

HE Al Hashemi even more underlined that IHC is committed to guaranteeing that policy perspectives and their implementation are dealt with and started beyond the WHS, therefore advancing its agenda, along with that of IHC. To this end, he announced its promises at the Summit on behalf of the UAE to provide the humanitarian world with the upcoming World Humanitarian Forum (WHF), a platform that is happening in Dubai, in December 2016, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This Forum will bring various players to Dubai biennial to continue the work of the World Humanitarian Summit and the UAE's commitments to sustainable humanitarian practices.

The very first cycle of Dubai's WHF will concentrate on sustainable partnerships under the style: "From Global Challenges to Grand Opportunities: Quantum Leaps in Private Sector Engagement" and take on issues of humanitarian concern, including our preparedness for natural catastrophes and climate change.

He concluded: "We believe that sustainable practices are central to making sure a much safer, more stable world and that obligation need to be shown other stakeholders such as governments, , the private sector, the scientific community and NGOs, making partnership an important tool for tackling humanitarian challenges.