Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
As humanitarian needs continue to rise worldwide, the UAE is exploring the creation of a humanitarian aid predictive centre that would use artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to help anticipate humanitarian crises before they escalate.
The Roundtable on Humanitarian Aid Predictive Landscape, organised by the Office of Development Affairs at the UAE Presidential Court, brought together representatives from international organisations, governments, and humanitarian agencies on Tuesday to discuss how emerging technologies can strengthen humanitarian preparedness and response.
Participants included officials from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Bank, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and other international organisations.
The roundtable comes as humanitarian needs continue to grow worldwide while funding remains uncertain, despite significant advances in technologies capable of predicting crises.
According to the Office of Development Affairs, artificial intelligence capabilities have reached an inflection point, yet a gap remains between what can be forecast and the actions taken in response. The discussions formed part of a feasibility study examining the potential establishment of a Humanitarian Aid Predictive Centre.
The event examined predictive tools across six key domains: food insecurity, displacement, conflict, climate change, disease and logistics.It also addressed challenges related to fragmented data systems, financing for anticipatory action, and organisational willingness to act on forecasts.
Speaking to Aletihad on the sidelines of the event, Rashed Al Hemeiri, Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Communication at the UAE Aid Agency, said the UAE's leadership in artificial intelligence made it a natural host for such discussions.
Al Hemeiri noted that while AI is increasingly being applied across many sectors, using it in humanitarian work presents a unique opportunity to improve the speed and effectiveness of responses.
"The challenge in humanitarian action has always been how to reduce response times and maximise the impact of assistance," he added, noting that understanding highly complex patterns involving climate change, displacement, healthcare and food security was extremely difficult and time-consuming, but AI today can analyse these patterns in minutes.
He said every minute saved in a humanitarian response can directly affect lives.
"For the first time, we have an opportunity not only to respond to crises but potentially prevent them from becoming catastrophes. The escalation from a crisis to a catastrophe can be reduced through AI and data analysis that would otherwise take human beings a very long time to process," Al Hemeiri explained.
Al Hemeiri added that one of the roundtable's strengths was its ability to bring together a broad range of stakeholders, including UN agencies, NGOs, civil society organisations, and the private sector.
"This session brings together all parts of the humanitarian ecosystem around one purpose, which is how to optimise the use of AI in humanitarian response," he said.
He indicated the initiative aligns closely with the UAE's broader vision for AI and international development.
"We want to position ourselves not only as leaders in AI implementation within the UAE, but also as contributors to the international community's humanitarian response efforts," Al Hemeiri said.
He emphasised the UAE's combination of technological capabilities, logistical strengths and long history of humanitarian work places it in a unique position internationally, "the global community looks to the UAE to step forward and help lead humanitarian efforts in this space."
Al Hemeiri also highlighted what he described as the UAE's ability to convene international actors.
"We have the convening power to bring together the private sector, UN agencies, donors and communities affected by crises. That is a strong position. It is not only about spending money, but about driving change and advancing anticipatory action that can help prevent catastrophes," he added.
Sajeda Shawa, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the UAE, said the discussions come at a time when global humanitarian pressures are intensifying.
According to OCHA's latest assessments, more than 300 million people worldwide currently require humanitarian assistance, while the world is experiencing more than 200 active conflicts in addition to natural disasters, she said.
"Looking at the scale of today's crises and the changing humanitarian landscape, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue operating through business as usual," Shawa told Aletihad.
She pointed to a range of challenges facing humanitarian organisations, including funding shortfalls, political pressures, access constraints, and growing threats to humanitarian operations.
"This roundtable is a good example of looking at innovation, technology and data in order to move beyond traditional approaches and find new ways to preserve the dignity of people in need," Shawa added.
She said participants exchanged experiences on how organisations collect, analyse and coordinate data during emergencies, and how that information can be used to support informed and accountable decision-making.
She also stressed that hosting the event in the UAE was significant. According to Shawa, the roundtable represents an opportunity to combine the UAE's technological ambitions and resources with the operational experience of humanitarian organisations.
"We are bringing together the UAE's vision, its technical capabilities and resources, alongside the field expertise of humanitarian actors. Together, we are exploring how we can move from a reactive approach to a proactive one," Shawa noted.
She added that the ultimate goal is not simply to improve response mechanisms, but to explore whether future crises can be predicted and mitigated before they worsen.
"Instead of only responding after a crisis occurs, we are looking at the possibility of anticipating humanitarian needs and acting earlier to protect people and maintain their dignity," Shawa explained.
