Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

18 April 2011, Abu Dhabi: Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA), the Office today opened a three-day training workshop titled "Introduction to Humanitarian Logistics" in Abu Dhabi.

The workshop is being held in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), and is being attended by logistics officers and project managers from various UAE donor organization and charities.

At the opening, OCFA said, "The UAE foreign aid sector is growing rapidly. Every year, men and women from the UAE deliver hundreds of thousands of tons of life-saving assistance across the world, often within extremely complex and testing environments".

Through a combination of lectures and simulation exercises, the workshop aims to prepare participants for intervention and deployment during emergencies by equipping them with the skills and know-how to manage the transportation, storage and distribution of essential goods and services during the chaos of natural or man-made disasters.

"The increasing demands on aid personnel to be able to operate calmly and efficiently within these environments underscores the importance of this week's training," OCFA continued. "We aim to prepare them as much as possible for the challenges ahead by drawing on the experience of local donors and international organisations".

Over the course of the workshop, participants will explore how to ensure the delivery of life-saving aid to those in need, despite security concerns and the disruption to roads, airports and other basic infrastructure that might occur.

Bernard Chomilier, Chief of the Logistics Development Unit in the World Food Programme, said, "We are very pleased to be able to work with the Government of the United Arab Emirates to help develop the logistical expertise of the UAE's humanitarian community. It is always important to WFP that we work closely with the Government in such capacity building initiatives, as when the time comes for field operations, it inevitably results in closer collaboration and an enhanced overall humanitarian response."

WFP is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide, providing food, on average, to 90 million people per year, in more than 80 countries around the world. WFP has developed expertise in transport and procurement, and it acts as the lead for the Logistics cluster in emergency settings.

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About OCFA:
OCFA was established by Cabinet Decree to support UAE foreign aid donors improve their delivery of humanitarian and development programmes worldwide.  With HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, presiding as the office's President, OCFA is assessing foreign aid donor needs; providing appropriate training programmes and knowledge transfers; and, building and strengthening ties between the UAE foreign aid sector and the international aid community by providing multiple platforms that bring international and local aid organizations together.

For more information, please contact:
Fadwa Qourah Hadid
Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA)
Tel: +971 2 6544407
Mobile: +971 55 9463027
Email: hadeed@ocfa.gov.ae
www.ocfa.gov.ae

© Press Release 2011