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The Dubai Future Council for Humanitarian Aid Initiative in collaboration with the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference and Exhibition- DIHAD, will host the first of its kind International Humanitarian Hackathon virtually in the region from 17-18 November 2020. The 2-day Hackathon focuses on Aid, Crises Management, and COVID-19. 

The International Humanitarian Hackathon is set to gather international organizations, incubators, tech companies, startups, innovative hackers, coders, developers, academics, and international and local students who will come together to generate new ideas, build prototypes and launch new projects for people in humanitarian crises dealing with pressing matters and issues such as early warding and prediction of crises, crowd management in crises, and outreach programs among many others, and present solutions that help tackle these matters such as developing algorithms to pick up early warning signs, developing systems to manage supplies and shelters, developing a crises preparedness system which is an automated platform that includes a national inventory and a tracking system, and much more.

During the 2-day hackathon, participants will have the opportunity to choose humanitarian challenges from tracks identified by the organizer in collaboration with leading humanitarian organizations to compete for a chance to pitch during DIHAD 2021 and win 150,000 AED. 

Furthermore, the Hackathon is expected to attract over 200 participants from across the world, who will come together to share their innovative ideas that will serve as solutions to current humanitarian challenges, especially ones that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ideas that will assist in managing crises in disaster areas.

Commenting on the hackathon, Dr. Manal Omran Taryam, Board member & Chief Executive Officer, Noor Dubai Foundation said: “The importance of The International Humanitarian Hackathon lies not only in the role it plays in bringing the world’s most brilliant minds together but also in utilizing the potential of youth and employing the latest technologies in finding solutions that can be implemented in real-life crisis zones. This is an initiative like no other, started here from the United Arab Emirates, the land of possibilities, to serve humankind.”

She added: “The innovative ideas that will be shared during the International Humanitarian Hackathon will help prepare everyone for the next humanitarian crises, as preparedness will not only help plan the prevention and early response but will also enable decision-makers and governments estimate the impact these crises will have on the quality of life. During the Hackathon, mentors, lecturers, and experts are encouraged to use lessons learned from the

COVID-19 pandemic to guide and direct participants into developing innovative solutions for early prediction and management.” 

From his side, Dr. Waleed Al-Ali, Advisor at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives commented on the International Humanitarian Hackathon saying: “Humanitarian crises around the world are on the rise, such as water scarcity, poverty, shortage of human resources among many others, and this accentuates the need for feasible solutions. The participants in the International Humanitarian Hackathon are doing much more than compete, they are changing the world and utilizing their talents, education, and experiences towards a better future for everyone involved.”

He added: “This initiative would not have been possible without the vision of our wise leadership, as they have always emphasized the importance of humanitarian work.”

The International Humanitarian Hackathon is an initiative by the Dubai Future Council on Humanitarian Aid and DIHAD, and is sponsored by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and supported by Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department. In addition, the Hackathon’s tech partner is IBM, and the humanitarian challenges are provided by International Humanitarian City, Noor Dubai, Dubai Water Aid Foundation (SUQIA), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and more.