QC, QFFD sign $3mn pact with UNHCR for displaced Yemenis
Qatar Charity (QC), Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have signed an agreement to provide shelter to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen, at a total cost of $3mn.
The agreement was signed by Misfer Hamad al-Shahwani, deputy director-general of QFFD’s Development Projects Department; Mohamed Ali al-Ghamdi, assistant to QC’s CEO in the Governance and Institutional Development Sector; and Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Co-ordinator for Syria and Iraq.
The agreement came within the framework of the efforts made by QC and QFFD to support the response of UNHCR to the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people suffering from difficult humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing crisis in the country, and to meet the basic needs of the affected Yemenis in line with the assessment of humanitarian sectors in the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2018.
The agreement aims at providing rental assistance to IDPs, returnees and local communities in Yemen to support sustainable return, promote the reconstruction of damaged homes and provide services for these people. The project is expected to benefit more than 26,000 people in the governorates of Abyan, Lahij and Hodeidah.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Misfer Hamad Al Shahwani, Deputy Director General of QFFD’s Development Projects Department, said “Today, we are proud of the strong and strategic partnerships that we are building with Qatar Charity to support Qatar’s effective efforts under its wise government, which consistently calls for attaching attention to humanitarian action and providing assistance to the needy around the world, including refugees.”
He added “I also commend UNHCR’s active role in providing assistance to displaced people and refugees and looking for alternative solutions for them. This is very important, especially for countries in crisis like Yemen, where more than 2 million people are suffering from the displacement and half of the population are at the risk of famine.”
For his part, Mohammed Ali Al Ghamdi, Assistant to QC’s CEO in the Governance and Institutional Development Sector, expressed his pride in the continuous coordination with QFFD to contribute to supporting the Qatari humanitarian efforts across the world, and highlighting its bright and pioneering role in the field of international development at the regional and global levels.
Commenting on the signing, he said “this agreement underscores the strength of the strategic partnership and significant coordination between QC and QFFD. At the same time, the agreement reflects the size and strength of the growing strategic partnership with the UNHCR, signed in Geneva last year.”
“This agreement reflects the great cooperation between QFFD, QC and international humanitarian actors, which has grown significantly in the past few years. It strengthens the cooperation initiative between the three parties to achieve the common humanitarian goals related to helping and protecting displaced persons and refugees across the world”, he added.
Al-Ghamdi also expressed his pride that QC is one of the top funding partners of UNHCR at the NGOs level. He also underlined QC’s desire to maintain this ranking to further enhancing its presence at the level of co-operation to serve humanitarian issues, especially with the increasing number of displaced people and refugees throughout the world in recent years due to the high frequency of conflicts in many areas.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Amin Awad, UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq, applauded Qatar’s significant role on the humanitarian level throughout the world and noted the remarkable role of QFFD and QC in this regard.
“We value UNHCR’s partnership with the humanitarian actors in Qatar, particularly with Qatar Charity. We are very pleased with the significant progress that our mutual collaboration has achieved in recent years”, said Awad. “The support we receive from our partners plays a crucial role in our ability to respond to the different humanitarian needs of refugees and IDPs around the world. This agreement will contribute to easing the suffering of displaced communities in Yemen and will enhance their ability to overcome the humanitarian challenges they are currently facing in their country”, he added.
UNHCR and Qatar Charity have a long record of accomplishment of co-operation for the benefit of refugees and displaced persons, which began in 2001. QC has funded 14 projects of UNHCR with a total value of more than $33million in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Iraq, Somalia, Jordan and Lebanon.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/qc-qffd-sign-3mn-pact-unhcr-displaced-yemenis