Qatar Affirms its Keenness to Support UN Efforts in Assisting Refugees

Qatar Affirms its Keenness to Support UN Efforts in Assisting Refugees

The State of Qatar affirmed its keenness to be among the key supporters of the efforts of the United Nations (UN) and its agencies to assist refugees and displaced people worldwide, without any cultural, religious or ethnic discriminations, based on its belief in human responsibility, the spirit of international solidarity and burden-sharing.
This came in the State of Qatar's statement delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Jawhara Abdulaziz Al Suwaidi, during the UNHCR Pledging Conference for 2023 in Geneva.
Al Suwaidi said that the UNHCR's Global Appeal 2023 highlighted the size and perils of the current refugee and displaced crisis, with their humanitarian ordeal exacerbating and numbers surging to more than 100 million, which calls for the international community to continue joint coordination, share burdens, and provide the necessary support for humanitarian and developmental response efforts for refugees and the countries and societies hosting them, work to settle and end conflicts and find permanent solutions to them.
The State of Qatar is a strategic partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and a member of the USD20 million and above club, which includes the key donor and UNHCR-cooperating countries, in addition to its membership in the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), as well as the establishment of a UNHCR office in Doha, Al Suwaidi added.
She added that the State of Qatar is among the first 10 countries to make multi-year contributions to the UNHCR, highlighting its 2020-23 contributions that amounted to more than USD61 million.
Based on its belief in the role of sport as a tool to bolster humanitarian and development efforts and to boost peace, Al Suwaiti said, the State of Qatar has recently signed a partnership agreement with the UNHCR to prepare the "Football for Development" manual, which includes a set of new educational tools, aimed at harnessing football's influence to empower refugee children and youth and provide them with life-long skills that will help them and support their host communities.
Highlighting the "FIFA Qatar 2022 for All: Sharing the Joy of Refugees and Displaced Persons" humanitarian initiative launched by the State of Qatar coinciding with the kick-off of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Al Suwaidi said that fan zones were launched inside refugee and displaced camps in a number of countries, including Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sudan, Somalia, northern Syria and Kenya, to allow them to enjoy World Cup matches and activities on large screens. She also highlighted the well-prepared sites to hold World Cup-simulating championships, as well as cultural, educational and entertainment activities and programs aimed at harnessing sports to promote peace and contribute to mitigating the sufferings of refugees amid their difficult humanitarian, social and psychological conditions.
Al Suwaidi affirmed that the State of Qatar will continue to provide all necessary support to the UNHCR's efforts to implement its humanitarian programs and activities worldwide, and to boost its ability to respond to the growing humanitarian needs emanating from waves of asylum and forced displacement. 

(QNA)