Doha, August 18 (QNA) - The Humanitarian Work Forum 2021 kicked off on Wednesday, bringing together high-ranking officials from international and local humanitarian organizations, academic institutions, and the United Nations.

High-ranking international personalities and an elite group of specialists, experts, and guests are attending the two-day forum which is held in conjunction with the World Humanitarian Day. The virtual event is organized by Qatar Charity (QC) in cooperation with Qatar University (QU).

The Humanitarian Work Forum is considered to be a first-of-its-kind initiative as it sheds light on the challenges facing humanitarian organizations, their workers, and volunteers. It seeks to find solutions and follow the best means and safest methods to deliver humanitarian services to the needy and those affected by the humanitarian crisis globally.

Addressing the opening session, CEO of Qatar Charity Yousef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari welcomed attendees and thanked guests, partners and work teams, stressing that the Forum is an affirmation of the role entrusted to Qatar Charity as the largest international humanitarian organization in the region, which has an active presence around the world.

"It comes as part of QCs keenness to pay attention to the challenges facing humanitarian workers and volunteers, and harness all its efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected by disasters and crises," he added.

Al Kuwari lauded the significant contribution of experts who are participating in the forum, which he hopes will come up with constructive recommendations and innovative solutions for the various fields and aspects of humanitarian work.

For her part, Dr. Eiman Mustafawi, Vice President for Student Affairs at Qatar University, said that the Forum came within the framework of the University's social responsibility, affirming that charitable and voluntary work is a duty towards others.

She noted that QUs Volunteering and Community Service Centre plays an active role in this regard, saying that volunteer work makes a student more aware of the needs of society and the world.

General Manager of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities Ibrahim Abdullah Al Dehaimi emphasized that humanitarian work in Qatar is a societal culture based on the meanings of love and giving, noting that on World Humanitarian Day, "we commemorate the workers of Qatari humanitarian organizations providing aid to those in need around the world."

In his keynote speech, International Committee of the Red Cross president Peter Maurer said he was delighted to be taking part in the Forum as he lauded global humanitarian efforts, led by aid workers and volunteers.

"Todays humanitarian context is ever-more complex, with intersecting needs requiring multi-dimensional solutions," Maurer said, adding that "to respond effectively, todays humanitarian organizations must draw upon new skills, capacities and approaches, and we cannot do it alone."

"Partnering and harnessing innovation are essential. This forum is an excellent platform to share experience, learn from each other, and to join forces for the future to better respond to humanitarian challenges locally and globally," he stressed.

Kelly T Clements, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, praised Qatar's humanitarian efforts, saying that the State of Qatar has been a reliable partner and a key supporter of the UNHCR.

She noted the challenges facing the UN Refugee Agency and its partners, noting that nearly 82.4 million people, half of whom are children, live in forced displacement today. 

In addition to the opening session, five other sessions were also held on the first day of the Forum, discussing various humanitarian topics.

The first session focused on partnerships in humanitarian work, with the participation of Khaled Khalifa, UN High Commissioner for Refugees senior advisor on Islamic Finance and regional representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and Mohammed Al Ghamdi, assistant CEO for the Governance Sector.

Khalifa discussed the importance of humanitarian partnerships in delivering assistance, saying that 85% of refugees live in developing countries and more than 50% of the displaced are from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

He noted that humanitarian partnerships contribute to the success of the organizations' work, giving examples of UNHCR's partnerships in the Middle East.

He concluded his presentation by reviewing strategic partnerships between UNHCR and Qatar.

For his part, Al Ghamdi lauded the existing partnerships between Qatar Charity and UN agencies, especially UNHCR.

The Forum also featured other sessions discussed a number of topics, including harnessing innovation and technological development in humanitarian work; the effectiveness of technology in the implementation of psychological support plans; the importance of economic and social empowerment of the affected and the needy and its relationship to sustainable development; and others.

The first day of the Forum concluded with several parallel workshops that discussed improving technology use in economic and social empowerment, providing physiological support, marketing the requirement of human, financial, and non-financial resources.

The Forum will continue its sessions tomorrow and will conclude its work with final recommendations that reflect the outputs of the presentations and discussions. (QNA)