The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) will convene the third Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum (RIHF) between 20-21 February.
The event will focus on facing the most pressing challenges and developing innovative and sustainable scientific solutions in the field of humanitarian work.
The forum, which will be launched in the presence of Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar, will also discuss methods of successful response applied in the humanitarian field to bring about valuable changes and help in providing more qualitative and efficient assistance.
KSRelief Spokesman Samer Al-Jutaily explained that the forum, in its 3rd edition, will shed light on the use and activation of technology as well as proactive work in the humanitarian field.
“The forum will involve youth through a hackathon, which is a creative way to benefit from minds and attract young people to think about humanitarian work,” Al-Jutaily told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that Saudi Arabia has a target of enrolling one million volunteers by 2030.
“Saudi Arabia’s role is no longer limited to financing humanitarian work around the world,” said Al-Jutaily.
“Rather, the Kingdom has a leading role through KSRelief in thought-making in the field of humanitarian work and formulating solutions,” he added.
The forum is expected to witness high local, regional, and international participation.
According to Al-Jutaily, the forum has more than 2,500 people registered so far.
The 3rd RIHF will continue the discussion under the theme “Evolving humanitarian needs and response” to provide an opportunity to reflect on global humanitarian practices and policies, while also highlighting practical solutions and successful response modalities from the field to drive meaningful changes and to deliver assistance more efficiently.
The forum seeks bringing researchers and humanitarian experts together to share experiences and promote research in the humanitarian field.
The forum’s sessions are built around research, studies and poster presentations from regions affected by humanitarian crises.
It encourages the participation of researchers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), promotes networking and collaboration, and creates a venue for open and inclusive discussions.
For the first time, the RIHF will witness the establishment of the Humanitarian Work and Sustainable Development Hackathon, a competition in which programmers, engineers and interested young people in various disciplines gather to carry out pioneering innovative work in the sectors of humanitarian work.
