The Fifth Annual Conference on Effective Partnership and Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action

(Kuwait, 14 October 2014) The Fifth Annual Conference on Effective Partnership and Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action was opened under the patronage of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. This is the fourth time Kuwait has hosted the conference.

This year’s conference theme is ‘the role of partnerships in early recovery and community empowerment and on coordination, especially in complex emergencies.’ The three day conference, organized by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), Direct Aid and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), brings together prominent actors from regional governments, humanitarian and corporate sectors and other humanitarian organizations to tackle the challenges in providing assistance to vulnerable persons affected by humanitarian crises.

“With an ever increasing demand for humanitarian action, it has become imperative that we work together to deliver,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Matouq, Chairman of the IICO Board and UN Humanitarian Envoy. “This is particularly important given the growing numbers of disasters and the significant increase in humanitarian needs around the world.”

This year’s speakers came from organizations operating in some of the world’s most challenging humanitarian environments and from organizations deeply involved in humanitarian work.

Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in her opening speech: “Every year when we meet, we share experiences and work together to overcome the challenges we face. The fruits of this cooperation are clear to everyone here, but more importantly, they are making a real difference to humanitarian action on the ground.”

“Thanks to the commitment of all parties, several concrete steps have taken place since the last effective partnership and information sharing conference in September 2013 for better humanitarian action,” said Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Muhailan, Chairman of Direct Aid. “This year several High Level partnership missions have taken place, including to Mauritania and Lebanon, while another mission is planned for Chad later this year.”

For more information please contact:
Adam Dafallah, IICO, +965 99423573, iicoadam@gmail
Nabeel Alterkait, Direct Aid, +965 99188977, Dgm@direct-aid.org
Saeed Hersi, OCHA Gulf Liaison Office, Cell: +971 506 117290, hersis@un.org, www.arabhum.net