International Humanitarian City At UAE Foundations Assembly

The 2nd UAE Foundations Assembly was organized as part of the Arab Foundations Week in Dubai on May 10th and 11th. Co-hosted by Dubai Cares and Emirates Foundation, the assembly focused on identifying opportunities, discussing challenges, improving ties and promoting synergy between local philanthropic organizations.

International Humanitarian City (IHC) was among the 150 representatives, from prominent foundations across the Arab world, which participated in the Assembly.

The 2010 assembly was instrumental in facilitating knowledge and idea exchange, sharing experiences, and increasing transparency between local organizations. It laid the foundation for future collaborative philanthropic initiatives to help support strategic philanthropy in the Middle East region.

Key dignitaries who attended the forum included H.E. Abdul Rahman Al-Owais, UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development & Managing Director of Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy and H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and Chairperson of Dubai Cares.

H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Board Member of Emirates Foundation and keynote speaker at the forum said, “H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE strongly believes in philanthropy as a vital principle of modern life throughout the Arab world. We have a long-standing philanthropic tradition, based on the spiritual values of our religion that highlight the importance of community co-operation and support, and it is great to see representatives that follow these traditions present in our audience.”

Ms Makiya Al Hajiri, CEO of IHC, who represented the global humanitarian hub, commented on the usefulness of the assembly, saying that, “Every year the UAE Foundations Assembly gives us the chance to see and learn from what other local organizations are doing to promote philanthropy in the region. It also gives us a good opportunity to network and collaborate on future projects together, to more effectively serve the region.”

The theme of the 2010 UAE Foundations Assembly was “Corporate Philanthropy: The Role of the Private Sector in Promoting Strategic Philanthropy in the Arab Region” and it comprised of individual presentations, panel discussions and focused break-out working sessions, which enabled participants to better understand the other’™s programs and needs. It helped develop greater overall understanding of the magnitude of philanthropic and humanitarian activities in UAE, and explored concrete possibilities for cooperation in 2010 and beyond, in areas of common interest such as education, social development, arts and culture, among others.

For more information, visit ihc.ae