Dubai cargo industry urged to create cross-industry disaster resource network

The initiative, which has been driven by DHL, the Emirates' leading air express supplier, is to ensure the private sector plays a more visible and practical role in helping the logistical challenges thrown up by humanitarian crises such as the recent earthquakes in Iran and Morocco.

"The aim is to create a cross-industry disaster relief body, based in Dubai, and sponsored by the Disaster Resource Network of the World Economic Forum and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies," said Chris Weeks, a DHL Manager who is seconded to the WEF's Disaster Resource Network as Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The envisaged disaster relief body will be made up of representatives from organisations in the air, road and sea transport sectors.

"These companies will be required to agree to lend resources in times of natural disaster in the Middle East, North and East African regions," said Weeks. "This could involve, lending staff and equipment to assist the humanitarian aid agencies to transport and handle relief cargo more efficiently than experienced recently.

"The private sector has a clear and important role to provide logistics and transportation capacity to aid agencies so they can do what they do best: delivering shelter, healthcare and food to survivors."