New Delivery Models and Partnerships Will Underpin Humanitarian Response to Evolving Aid Challenge
BRUSSELS, November 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
The scale and pace at which emergencies are evolving pose a huge challenge to the humanitarian community. But closer partnerships, new delivery models and local innovation show success is possible and can be brought to scale.
More than 2,000 experts from 61 countries attended AidEx 2012 to discuss these issues and shared ideas about how best to target the humanitarian world's resources in an age of austerity and increasingly complex disaster management.
AidEx participants emphasised the important role that advance planning, local technologies and different delivery models will play in years to come.
On this aspect, Dr Abbas Gullet, Kenya Red Cross Secretary General, declared:
"Many young people who want to be in this business, they need to learn and it is our duty, as experienced professionals, to transmit ideas, the use of technology, to be innovative and come with new ways to deal with disasters."
Claus Sørensen, EU's DG for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, stated:
"If you are curious to see how you actually deploy medical facilities, treat water in disaster situations, or how communications systems are working, then AidEx is the place to go."
On existing collaboration between private sector and NGOs, Crosby Menzies, founder and CEO of South African company SunFire Solutions, declared:
"Partnering with well-established NGOs and Development agencies has the twin benefits of putting technologies into the hands of communities that really benefit from them."
Regarding the achievements of this year, Event Director Nicholas Rutherford said:
"This year AidEx attracted over 2,000 aid experts, but what we're really proud of is the facilitation of great ideas that have been spread between them. This results in cost-effective solutions to meet today's most pressing humanitarian challenges."
Notes for Editors
About AidEx
AidEx is a platform created under the patronage of Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and major NGOs to address humanitarian aid and development issues, facilitate expertise among partners from a practical perspective and enhance current methods in ways that help save lives and build resilience.
AidEx 2012 took place in Brussels on 24-25 October 2012, and was attended by 2,005 aid experts, alongside 200 suppliers of relief products.
AidEx 2012 show highlights: http://www.aid-expo.com/en/visitor-zone/visitor-zone.aspx
AidEx 2012 pictures: http://gleamlight.smugmug.com/Events/Exhibition-24-25-October/26199707_GJJnWK
Twitter: @AidEx2012
SOURCE AidEx2012 and Centaur Media plc
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