In collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Gulf Office, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) hosted for the first time the Arabhum Workshop in Dubai last week. The full-day event brought together over 60 humanitarian and development practitioners and academics from leading organizations in the Gulf region, alongside a handful of members from the academic and private sectors.

Mr. Khaled Khalifa, Chief of OCHA’s Partnerships Coordination Section in Geneva, welcomed the participants followed by opening remarks from IHC CEO Shaima Al Zarooni. Sessions included TedX style talks and open debates on various topics including Research, Reporting and Media in Humanitarian Action. Presenters included journalists, academics and humanitarian practitioners from UN agencies, international and regional NGOs.

The open debates involved interactive discussion panels with speakers from diverse humanitarian backgrounds, and audience members were invited to ask questions and participate during the debates. Following the discussion panels was a technical session on growing social media trends and regional approaches to virtual reporting. This included presentations from social media experts as well as a Q&A session with the audience.

Perhaps the most unique element of Arabhum Workshop was the “World Café” themed ‘groupthink’ networking session, where participants were brought together in a global café-like setting to exchange expertise and brainstorm on some fundamental subjects tackling humanitarian action challenges. Topics of discussion included building on humanitarian academic partnerships, engaging the Gulf youth in humanitarian work, key principles of Arab humanitarian partnerships, and effective engagement with the media.

Arabhum Workshop is an outcome of the Fourth Annual Conference for Effective Partnerships and Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action. Designed to be an interactive discussion forum and professional networking hub, Arabhum Workshop advocates for better humanitarian action by encouraging diversity and creativity.

For further information on Arabhum and the latest news on Gulf humanitarian action, please visit www.arabhum.net.