The Humanitarian Logistics Databank provides the humanitarian community with a common database platform on humanitarian aid stocks and flows, to enhance emergency preparedness and response.

It was developed under the coordination of the Dubai Humanitarian and launched in Dubai in 2018. It is currently being implemented in other humanitarian hubs across the world.

The databank was designed by a team of specialists engineers, IT advisers and subject-matter experts at the Dubai Humanitarian in Dubai.

Led by Giuseppe Saba, CEO of the Dubai Humanitarian, and former Head of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots, UNHRD, with the support of operational humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme, World Health Organization, UN Refugee Agency, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF and the close cooperation of OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The databank employs automated tracking of aid movements based on customs data from ports, airports, and other entry points. It provides the global humanitarian community with information on the exact positioning of critical relief items such as food, medicine, and shelter, making them accessible to all cooperating parties. This platform improves collaboration and helps avoid bottlenecks in ports and airports.

The Humanitarian Logistics Databank gives to both, affected countries and humanitarian actors in crisis-torn areas, access to updated information on the availability of relief items in respect of their quantity, location, ownership and movement, so they can plan their action and response accordingly.

Countries affected by natural or man-made disasters benefits from the platform as it gives them access to relevant information on available aid.

When a crisis strikes, humanitarian agencies hurry to send relief such as medicines, food, shelter items, etc. to those affected countries. Aid should be sent with high priority and from the closest humanitarian hub to the affected area.