UAE’s permanent representative to UN made the announcement during a UN Security Council debate Platform will enable affected countries to communicate what aid is needed and where, allowing partners to deliver aid efficiently NEW YORK: Catastrophe-hit countries will be getting swifter and more efficient support thanks to a new digital response platform that the UAE announced will be launching on Friday. The UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN Lana Zaki Nusseibeh made the announcement during a UN Security Council debate titled “Maintenance of international peace and security: Advancing public-private humanitarian partnership,” reported the Emirates News Agency, or WAM. The digital response platform will enable affected countries to communicate what aid is needed and where, allowing partners to better target and accelerate aid delivery. According to WAM’s report, the platform will utilize the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and geospatial tools, and will be securely hosted to ensure data integrity. Nusseibeh said: “We are facing a humanitarian system in crisis. And the architecture of the past can no longer keep pace with the crises of the present. “The UAE has been developing a digital platform to support governments’ ability to better harness international support in the wake of natural disasters. We look forward to working on this with governments, the private sector, and humanitarian organizations in the coming months to launch a new tool to turbocharge our crisis response capabilities.” With Albania serving as the council’s president for September, Igli Hasani, Albania’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs, chaired the meeting. The UAE is considered a major global humanitarian donor. The Dubai-based International Humanitarian City is the world’s largest humanitarian logistics hub, home to 62 humanitarian organizations, including major UN agencies, and 17 private sector companies. Over the past five years, the UAE private sector has contributed over $250 million to humanitarian efforts globally.