1. Saudi Humanitarian Emergency Aid and
Response Team Program (Saudi HEART)
PROGRAM FACTS
Vision
The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has placed special efforts in promotion of
international humanitarian aid, according to the Council of Ministers’ Article No.
213 dated on 07/11/1432 AH. To this end, SRCA has formulated a comprehensive
strategy for its role as international humanitarian body, based on its comparative
advantage.
A study, conducted in 2011, commissioned by the Authority, for an understanding
of the current status of International Humanitarian Aid in the world, the most
important organizations working in this field, the best international experiences
as well as an analysis of efforts made by the Kingdom in general and the Saudi
Red Crescent Authority in particular, during the past ten years in the field of
international aid. This also includes strategic recommendations on the future role
of SRCA in the provision of international humanitarian assistance as well as key
areas to be addressed in the short and long term.
It is the recommendation of the strategy that SRCA’s role should be to provide
different types of humanitarian aid immediately to the affected people in
disasters and international crises, with a focus - in the short term - on public
health and medical relief, emergency and related hospitals and field operations
and logistics in the disaster, according to internationally recognized criteria.
In this context, His Royal Highness, the President of SRCA, has made the decision
to establish a specialized and highly qualified team to provide aid and assistance
to victims of disasters and crises, as well as, and the implementation of a
specialized training program to prepare the team.
Strategic partner
The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center serves as strategic partner to the
Saudi HEART program. Established in 1986, ADPC supports the advancement of
safe communities and sustainable development, through implementing
programs that reduce the impact of disasters upon countries. ADPC conducts
training programs on Disaster Management, Emergency Public Health, Early
Warning Systems, Nutrition in Emergencies and other components included in
disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. ADPC’s
well-established networks with government line agencies and strong
partnerships with regional organizations and development agencies provide the
foundation for their work.
Mission and
Strategic Goals
Saudi HEART will be established as
an international model in qualifica-
tion and empowerment to provide
humanitarian aid to victims of
natural disasters and humanitarian
crises, without discrimination. The
team will operate along with the
best standards and will follow
international performance criteria.
The team will be passionate about
its mission, inspired by the respon-
sibility of its national identity,
enlightened by the highest human
values and committed to the
principles of the International Red
Crescent and Red Cross. The team
will guard its members and will be
committed to protect and always
maintain a helpful and supportive
role in this area. The team will be
thoroughly equipped to meet the
call of duty at any time around the
world.
In January 2015, a workshop is
scheduled to formulate a vision
statement and strategy document
that outline long-term sustainabili-
ty and deployment mechanisms
for the team and other strategic
issues.

2. Capacity-building
initiatives
1) Training and capacity-building of 100 Saudi nationals will
be conducted in three batches, starting April 2014 by ADPC.
2) An elite group of specialists are training Saudi HEART
team on various types of emergency response to disasters
and humanitarian crises through more than 28 training
packages, supported by a specialized team in ADPC.
3) Participants will be given the chance to participate in
regional and global courses. The training are implemented
by ADPC.
4) 100 candidates are nominated to participate in the
program through seven selected tracks.
5) Training Specialists will provide educational and training
materials and technical support to equip the team.
6) Experts and specialists will conduct live training and
simulation for the groups of the Saudi HEART members to
prepare for humanitarian missions, according to
internationally accepted standards of response.
7) Participants will participate in a full-blown simulation
exercise to practice skills learned through the program.
8) On-the-job training and mentoring services will be
provided.
Components of
the teams
The proposed structure of the Saudi HEART consists of:
1) Leadership team backed by four offices for management
of information, communication and relationships, connectivi-
ty and security.
2) The public health sector: consists of several specialized
teams focused on basic health services, nutrition, psychoso-
cial support, water and sanitation.
3) The relief, logistics and supply sector: consists of teams
focused on relief, shelter and supply chain management and
procurement in disaster settings.
4) The Administrative Support Services Sector: consists of a
team focused on finance, human resources, communications
as well as a qualified team to set up the infrastructure of
Satellite Communications and Information Technology in an
emergency.
Program Partners
ADPC is bringing together a group of experts for its
in-house capacity and external network, and partners
to support the Saudi Red Crescent Authority in the
preparation of the Saudi HEART team by running the
training and capacity-building program. ADPC utilizes
its in-house experts and also brings external experts
with a solid understanding and practical experiences
within specific components covered by Saudi HEART
including logistics management, disaster manage-
ment, humanitarian incident command systems,
communication systems, gender in emergencies and
humanitarian coordination systems.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Com-
mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are key partners in this
program. Both IFRC and ICRC are actively engaged in
the development and delivery of some of the
modules of the program.
Specialized organizations of the United Nations such
as the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs - OCHA and World Food Program (WFP) are
also included. Additionally, we are pleased to start
communications with other organizations such as
King Saud University, Oxfam, and a number of
National Societies of the Red Crescent and the Red
Cross around the world.
Contact Information
For Saudi Red Crescent Authority
http://www.adpc.net/saudiheart/
pmo.saudiheart@srca.org.sa
pmo.saudiheart@gmail.com
For Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
http://www.adpc@adpc.net
phe@adpc.net