WHO resumes Dubai logistics hub operations after security pause

2026-03-06 - 11:02

The World Health Organization's logistics hub for global health emergencies in Dubai has resumed operations Friday following a temporary suspension due to security concerns, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy announced. Speaking to reporters in Geneva from Cairo, Balkhy confirmed that "after a temporary pause, WHO's Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics is today resuming operations." Government coordination Balkhy stated that the United Arab Emirates government, in coordination with the World Food Program and Dubai Humanitarian, confirmed its readiness to facilitate urgent humanitarian shipments. The resumption comes after regional tensions disrupted operations amid the ongoing US-Israeli offensive against Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes targeting Gulf countries hosting US assets. Affected shipments More than 50 emergency supply requests across 25 countries had been affected by the pause, Balkhy explained. "These pending requests—which will benefit more than 1.5 million people—include WHO supplies for Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Somalia, as well as polio laboratory supplies for global detection and eradication activities across a number of countries." The WHO will work in the coming days to process urgent new shipments and clear priority backlogs. Continued concerns "We hope that the pause in the use of the airspace for the Dubai and the humanitarian hub does not get jeopardized again with the current situation," Balkhy concluded. The resumption comes as the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, now in its second week, has reportedly killed more than 1,000 people including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Iranian retaliatory strikes continuing to target Israel and Gulf states, raising ongoing concerns about regional stability and humanitarian access.