Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to GCC countries during the workshop in Doha. ©UNHCR
As part of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s ongoing strategy to enhance partnerships with official and local institutions in the State of Qatar, UNHCR’s Regional Office concluded two workshops in Qatar, in partnership with the Qatari Ministry of Justice, Qatar Development Fund and Qatar Charity Foundation.
The first training session on “Protecting Refugees in a time of Humanitarian Crises”, was organized in coordination with the Ministry of Justice’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law. The workshop, which focused on the definition of international refugee law and the international refugee treaties and conventions, was attended by experts and specialists in international humanitarian law. Throughout their ongoing participation and interventions in the workshop, participants expressed their interest in further the cooperation between UNHCR and governmental institutions in the State of Qatar in support of humanitarian causes.
Lauding the importance of the workshop, Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC), commented, “this workshop, which is the first of its kind with the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, addresses topics of great importance. These topics are of particular relevant in light of the unprecedented numbers of refugees and displaced persons, exceeding 65 million people globally.”
“Working together with local and national institutions in Qatar on international protection issues is a reflection of the State of Qatar’s commitment towards humanitarian issues around the world”, Khalifa added.
During the same week, UNHCR also concluded a workshop organized in collaboration with the Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity. The workshop focused on the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for Syrian Refugees (3RP), which tackles the Syrian humanitarian crisis, that has displaced over 4.8 million people to neighboring countries in the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to displacing over six million people inside Syria.
The workshop addressed the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its impact on refugees and host communities. Methods to enhance the coordination of humanitarian response between UNHCR and national institutions for a more efficient response to 3RP was also highlighted by the participants, who included representatives from the Government of the State of Qatar and Qatari charity foundations.
Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCC), praised the spirit of coordination and teamwork between UNHCR and both governmental and local Qatari Institutions, noting “I am very happy with the outcome of this workshop, and I was touched by the participants’ interventions which reflect both an official and local interest in refugee issues”.
“I would like to thank the Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity for giving us this opportunity to present the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) so as to enable host communities. I look forward to further cooperation with Qatari institutions in the near future in order to provide a better life for refugees and displaced persons in the region and beyond”, Khalifa concluded.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
