Dubai Humanitarian strengthens global preparedness and emergency response capabilities
The Dubai Humanitarian Authority has reinforced its position as the world's largest humanitarian hub, with relief stock valuations reaching $200 million and shipments expanding to support communities across more than 100 countries annually.
The Board of Directors of Dubai Humanitarian Authority, convened under the chairmanship of Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, has reviewed the Authority’s evolving strategic priorities and its instrumental role in advancing global humanitarian preparedness and emergency response efficiency.
Established in 2003 under the visionary guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian operates as an independent humanitarian free zone authority dedicated to supporting international humanitarian endeavours worldwide. The organisation has achieved the distinction of becoming the world’s largest humanitarian hub, accommodating 88 member entities comprising 51 non-profit organisations, 27 commercial companies and 10 United Nations agencies and programmes. Its international composition encompasses more than 500 professionals representing over 70 nationalities, creating an environment of collaborative excellence and cross-cultural expertise.
The Authority’s facilities span more than 140,000 square metres, strategically designed to support the expansion of prepositioned humanitarian relief stocks. The value of these reserves has demonstrated remarkable growth, escalating from $43 million in 2017 to an average of $200 million, representing an increase of approximately 365% within less than a decade. This substantial expansion has been principally driven by enhanced medical and health supplies, complemented by the development of more resilient infrastructure encompassing advanced storage facilities and warehouses.
Humanitarian operations facilitated by the hub’s members have expanded considerably, with shipments increasing from 855 in 2017 to 1,188 in 2025, representing growth of approximately 39%. Over the past decade, humanitarian assistance dispatched from Dubai Humanitarian’s warehouses has reached more than 100 countries on an annual average basis.
Throughout 2026, the Authority has directly facilitated and supported humanitarian shipments via land and air transport, enabling the delivery of critical relief supplies in partnership with the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other humanitarian partners. These operations have encompassed the transportation of emergency supplies to Mozambique, Afghanistan, Gaza and Lebanon; humanitarian airlifts supporting the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the delivery of relief supplies to Nepal following severe flooding.
Dubai Humanitarian continues to strengthen knowledge and expertise exchange through memoranda of understanding and collaborative agreements with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, alongside cooperation with Italy and Panama through the Humanitarian Logistics Databank.
The Board has reaffirmed its commitment to further reinforcing strategic preparedness, developing enhanced operational capabilities and deepening international partnerships, thereby sustaining Dubai’s prominence as a global humanitarian hub and enabling increasingly sustainable, efficient and effective humanitarian responses.
Source: WAM