US$ 1.25bn in humanitarian shipments originated in over five years
When crises strike, saving time can mean saving lives. Against this backdrop, Dubai Customs helps accelerate the delivery of aid and critical supplies to affected areas around the world through a flexible customs system that combines speed of processing with procedural accuracy, security, and compliance requirements.
Dubai Customs plays a strategic role in the global humanitarian response system by facilitating the movement of relief shipments to and from Dubai, expediting customs clearance and exemptions, and strengthening operational coordination with Dubai Humanitarian and strategic partners. This supports the emirate’s readiness to respond to crises, disasters, and humanitarian emergencies.
The importance of this role continues to grow amid increasing humanitarian challenges arising from conflicts, natural disasters, and health emergencies. In such circumstances, time is a critical factor in the effectiveness of relief operations and in ensuring that essential supplies reach affected communities.
Logistical capabilities
HE Dr. Abdulla Busenad, Director General, Dubai Customs, said that supporting the movement of humanitarian shipments reflects the UAE’s vision of leveraging its institutional and logistical capabilities to serve people and strengthen international efforts to address crises and disasters.
“In cooperation with Dubai Humanitarian and our partners, we work to accelerate the movement of vital shipments and supplies, reflecting Dubai’s ability to translate its institutional and logistical capabilities into humanitarian impact that extends across the world,” he stated.
Results for the period from 2021 to 2025 demonstrate the scale of this role and its global reach.
Partnership
The partnership between Dubai Customs and Dubai Humanitarian facilitated humanitarian shipments to and from Dubai with a total value of US$ 1.256bn, across 12,830 customs transactions covering exports and imports. Humanitarian exports were valued at US$ 632.8mn across 6,299 transactions to 167 countries, while imports were valued at US$ 623.4mn across 6,531 transactions from 86 countries.
Dubai Customs applies flexible mechanisms to accommodate the nature of relief shipments and their exceptional requirements. These include expedited clearance procedures, facilitation of customs exemptions, and coordination on classification, tariffs, and related requirements, alongside ongoing operational cooperation with Dubai Humanitarian and strategic partners.
