International Humanitarian Hackathon's finalists present final pitch on second day of DIHAD

DUBAI-The 17th edition of Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition – DIHAD continued on the second day, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The 3-day gathering of humanitarian leaders, running until the 17th of March under the theme, ‘Aid and Coronavirus, a Focus on Africa’, focuses on the need to find innovative solutions to the most pressing issues and challenges facing the African continent.

Continuing their activities on the 2nd day at DIHAD, top humanitarian leaders and industry experts highlighted many important issues during various key sessions such as ‘Africa: Population Growth, Urbanisation, Education and Employment’, ‘Africa: Aid Flows, Remittances, Trade, Investments and Economic Growth’ and a special session title ‘Shaping African Futures beyond Covid-19’.

In addition, DIHAD day 2 featured 4 innovative workshops which are: "IFRC Strategy 2030" by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), "Briefing on the Response to the Humanitarian Situation in Africa: Trends and Challenges" by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), "When Law Clashes with Justice; Moral Values and Ethics Within the NGO Sector" by Israeli Flying Aid, and "Sustainable Innovation: An Overview of Emergency Shelter and Core Relief Items" by NRS Relief.

The exhibition witnessed a large participation from those interested in the humanitarian field such as leading Non-Governmental Organizations, Humanitarian Governmental Associations, Companies, Suppliers, and International Brands from all parts of the world.

Commenting on ‘Pathfinder International’s participation in DIHAD exhibition for the first time, Lois Quam, President and CEO of ‘Pathfinder International’ said: "We are delighted to be a part of the 17th edition of DIHAD conference and exhibition. This event is an opportunity to shed light on the importance of investing in women to build resilience in communities critically impacted by climate change. At Pathfinder, our programs contribute to gender equality by giving women and girls access to essential reproductive health services that allow them to thrive."

From his side, Ahmad Shaker Dadgar, Senior Director of Procurement at ‘Corus International’, USA, said: "As a first-time participant this is an interesting moment for me that, once again, despite the disastrous pandemic that has separated us, we are here to build and show our strong ties and nodes for bringing positive and hopeful change to people's lives worldwide that is needed more than ever before.

The world is watching us. Let's, through our unique expertise, re-connect the world. We should not let a life's value be less than a dollar a day in other parts of the world" Lilian Kamau, Danish Refugee Council, Somalia, Partnerships and Program Development Coordinator said: "Danish Refugee Council Somalia is happy to be part of the DIHAD 2021 conference. As an international NGO working to meet the humanitarian and development needs of vulnerable groups in Somalia, DIHAD provides an opportunity to meet and network with other peer agencies in the Gulf and across the world to exchange ideas and best practices. We look forward to enriching conversations, innovative solutions, and new products that’ll support our work in Somalia."

Additionally, the second day of DIHAD featured the International Humanitarian Hackathon’s final pitch day, where the eight finalists underwent various challenges followed by an evaluation of their hacks and innovative ideas virtually. The Final Pitch day was commenced by a welcoming speech delivered by Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Future Foundation. The International Humanitarian Hackathon is a unique initiative by ‘Dubai Future Council for Humanitarian Aid’ in collaboration with ‘Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference and Exhibition- DIHAD’.

DIHAD is organised annually by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding with the support of United Nations, Emirates Red Crescent, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity Est., UNHCR, UNOCHA, OIC, Dubai Cares and International Humanitarian City. The event is sponsored by UAE Water Aid – Suqia, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), King Abdullah Humanitarian Foundation and Life Relief and Development.

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