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Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH) facilitated a second relief airlift, in close coordination with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), to support ongoing emergency response efforts to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid was transported via Uganda.
A fully loaded Boeing 747 aircraft provided by Dubai Royal Air Wing delivered around 60 metric tonnes of critical humanitarian and medical aid from the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (WFP-UNHRD), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF.
Giuseppe Saba, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Humanitarian, said: “This is the second airlift we facilitate within a week in response to the Ebola outbreak, which reflects the UAE’s steadfast commitment to supporting humanitarian action and standing by those in need wherever they may be. Through this operation, we are bringing together multiple members and partners of the Dubai Humanitarian community, reinforcing a multi-partnership model of coordination in logistics, expertise, and resources to enable faster and more effective humanitarian response.”
“The operation reflects the growing strategic cooperation between Dubai Humanitarian and the European Union, following the Administrative Arrangement signed between both entities last year, and reinforces our shared objective of improving the timeliness, sustainability, and impact of humanitarian operations worldwide. Despite all challenges, we consider the continuity of the humanitarian operations a responsibility more than an option,” added Saba.
“International cooperation is essential to responding to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and across the region. I welcome Dubai Humanitarian’s swift mobilisation to deliver relief supplies to eastern DRC at this critical moment. The EU stands in solidarity with all affected communities and remains firmly committed to supporting efforts to contain the virus and save lives,” said Maciej Popowski, the Director-General for the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.