Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA), aiming to support the World Food Programme's (WFP) humanitarian efforts to alleviate global hunger, sponsored and participated in the three-day Global Humanitarian Aviation Conference and Exhibition (GHAC) 2014 that concluded in Geneva, Switzerland recently.

“We are proud to be one of the sponsors of this global conference,” said Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, director of HFZA and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone), who led the HFZA delegation to Geneva.

Al Mazrouei added: “During the conference we met some of the world’s leading humanitarian aid and support organisations operating at the extreme end of aid delivery to hostile environments. HFZA is a suitable hub for companies and industries that supply humanitarian aid - packaged goods like food, clothes and other basic necessities. HFZA is a cost effective platform for them to expand their operations into and they will benefit from the easy access to Sharjah seaports and Sharjah International Airport from Hamriyah Free Zone.”

Al Mazrouei said: “In addition, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has always been one of our prime focuses in order to achieve sustainable development, for two CSR platforms - Hamriyah Green Team and Hamriyah She-Q Club. This is also a reason for our support for this event.”

“During the meeting, we discussed about how the WFP’s business operators can utilise our facilities. In fact, they can avoid many operational challenges if they operate from HFZA due to its proximity to many countries in Asia, and Africa” he said.
 
“Our latest project Hamriyah Logistic Village is aimed at providing all-in-one logistics and distribution centre for companies operating in the Free Zone,” said Al Mazrouei.

Currently, HFZA offers advanced infrastructure for the establishment of various types of industries and operates as a hub for the distribution of goods and products from various countries in the markets of UAE and the Gulf region as well as the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The HFZA delegation also held meetings with the Arab-Swiss Chamber of Commerce president Jean Paul Vulliety and secretary general Bahaa El Attar.  They discussed ways of strengthening the trade relations between HFZA and Arab-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.

In a separate meeting, the delegates met Philippe Meyer, international trade director of Genève Chamber of Commerce Industry and Services where the two sides discussed about cooperation in investment and trade.

The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, and its GHAC series has grown to become the only fully UN-supported annual global event to convene the aviation innovators, decision-makers and managers who deliver humanitarian air aid operations. – TradeArabia News Service