Qatar Charity, UNHCR Sign Strategic Cooperation

Qatar Charity, UNHCR Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement


10/4/2017 |


Qatar Charity (QC) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) signed Tuesday a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at supporting UNHCR protection and assistance activities for refugees and displaced persons globally.

The agreement was signed at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in a ceremony attended by HE Chairman of Qatar Charity Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al-Thani and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

Spanning over a period of five years, the agreement aims to enhance cooperation, partnership and joint efforts between the two sides, and to find out means to provide financial resources for Relief Projects for Refugees and displaced persons around the world, on the basis of co-financing, through a minimum annual contribution of $3 million.

Commenting, HE Chairman of Qatar Charity Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al-Thani said that the agreement reflects the strong partnership between Qatar Charity and UNHCR, and the Charity's keenness to support the noble goals for which UNHCR was established.

His Excellency stressed the importance of cooperation and building strategic partnerships as a means to meet the challenges of development and humanitarian work worldwide, especially as the number of displaced people and refugees has increased in recent years due to the high frequency of conflicts in many areas.

"UNHCR and QC strategic partnership is a long standing one, which spans over many years, through which Qatar Charity has continuously been supporting UNHCRs efforts to protect and serve refugees, and this gives us great pride to support their work," HE Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al-Thani said.

His Excellency praised the efforts exerted by HE the UN Secretary-General's Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Muraikhi and his encouragement to the Gulf organizations to increase their involvement in the international humanitarian system.

He also highlighted the efforts of the staff of the Gulf Office of the UNHCR for their great efforts during the past period, which culminated in the signing of this strategic agreement, reflecting the distinguished cooperation and partnership between Qatar Charity and UNHCR.

For his part, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi welcomed this commitment by Qatar Charity, "whose support has proven invaluable".

"With the number of forcibly displaced persons remaining at an unprecedented level, support from our partners is now needed more than ever. We look forward to building on this collaboration with Qatar Charity in addressing global humanitarian and displacement challenges," he added.

Qatar Charity and UNHCR have a long track record of joint cooperation from 2000 until the end of September last year. The two sides signed 15 partnership agreements for refugees and displaced people in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan, valued at nearly $8.5 million.

This year witnessed a significant increase in cooperation with UNHCR with agreements amounted to $4.25 million, aiming to provide shelter for displaced people in the Iraqi city of Mosul, emergency health care for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, support and shelter for internally displaced persons in Myanmar, assistance to Yemen's displaced, and support and Relief to Syrian Refugees.