Dubai, UAE – Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH) entered a strategic agreement with the Geneva-based Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) to advance leadership, negotiation, and diplomacy capabilities across the global humanitarian sector. The signing took place ahead of a masterclass for senior leaders at Dubai Humanitarian’s Knowledge & Development Centre on Leading Humanitarian Negotiation and Diplomacy Processes in collaboration with Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA).
Through this partnership, both entities will jointly design and deliver high-impact training programmes, workshops, and simulations to equip humanitarian professionals, policymakers, and emerging leaders with practical negotiation and leadership skills. The initiative will also promote cross-sector collaboration between humanitarian organizations, governments, and academic institutions.
Commenting on the signing and the launch of the masterclass, Giuseppe Saba, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Humanitarian, said: “Our presence here today sends a powerful message that diplomacy remains essential to humanitarian action. In an increasingly complex humanitarian landscape, where nearly half of global humanitarian aid is directed to conflict-affected settings, access remains one of our greatest challenges. Two years ago, we began a dialogue on the critical role of humanitarian negotiation and diplomacy. This signing and today’s masterclass are a continuation of that journey. We are grateful to our partners, CCHN and AGDA, for making this initiative possible and for helping transform expertise into practical, actionable knowledge. Dubai Humanitarian and its Knowledge and Development Centre are privileged to host this programme in the UAE. As we advance initiatives such as the Global Safety Net, we reaffirm that Dubai Humanitarian is more than a logistics hub. It is a global platform for learning, collaboration, and excellence, committed to connecting partners and continuously supporting and raising the standards of humanitarian action worldwide.”
Rehan Zahid, Deputy Director of CHNN added: “We are pleased to formalize our partnership with Dubai Humanitarian and to kick it off with a masterclass for senior humanitarian leaders, delivered in collaboration with AGDA. In every crisis, people are waiting for help, and reaching them requires not only delivering assistance but also engaging in dialogue and diplomacy to establish and maintain access to affected communities. This week, our two workshops addressed these challenges by bringing experienced professionals together to exchange knowledge and learn from one another, an exchange this partnership will build on. We sincerely thank Dubai Humanitarian for hosting this event in the UAE and for its leadership as a global platform for learning and collaboration. We look forward to further developing this partnership.”
The collaboration comes at a time when the humanitarian landscape is becoming increasingly complex, shaped by protracted conflicts, climate-related emergencies, and restricted access to vulnerable populations. In such environments, effective negotiation and strong leadership are critical to ensuring timely and equitable delivery of aid.
Founded as an interagency initiative by leading humanitarian organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), UNHCR, and the World Food Programme (WFP), CCHN brings deep, field-tested expertise in humanitarian negotiation. Together with Dubai Humanitarian’s role as the world’s largest humanitarian hub, the partnership creates a powerful platform to scale practical skills and leadership development across the sector.