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Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
DESPITE the blockade imposed on Qatar by some neighbouring countries, Qatar continues to meet its obligations towards humanitarian actions and shall remain so, said Dr Tareq al Ansari, International Collaboration Department manager at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Addressing delegates at the MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action (MYCHA) event,which opened at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) on Saturday, Ansari conveyed Qatar's commitment to upholding international law and providing aids to civilians without discrimination.
Around 150 youth including 100 participants from ten different countries and 50 Qatari nationals and residents are taking part in MYCHA, organised by ROTA in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Human Appeal (HA), Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS), Doha Institute, United Nations Envoy on Youth, and United Muslims Relief (UMR).
On the occasion, Ansari also underlined Qatar's belief in peaceful settlement of conflicts and its allegiance to supporting education programmes and initiatives that prevent children in conflict zones from dropping out of schools.
"Qatar believes in dialogue to resolve conflicts, end crises and establish world peace as envisaged in its National Vision 2030. Qatar continues to support humanitarian efforts without any discrimination based on religion, race or colour. Qatar stresses the importance of sharing responsibilities among countries to help refugees. Qatar has a deep belief in involving the youth in humanitarian action and their pivotal role in determining their future. This gathering is a direct translation of such commitment. Qatar emphasises the need for international efforts to reduce human and physical damages and losses in crisis situation and to develop resilience and to participate in humanitarian response," he said.
He also lauded Qatar's active participation in lobbying for involvement of youth in the efforts of United Nations in addressing and tackling humanitarian issues and challenges across the world and the contributions of ROTA in further developing the capacities of young people in Qatar and the region in humanitarian action.
The three-day training programme is aimed at providing participants aged 18 30 with the humanitarian knowledge and skills to plan and execute small-scale social and community development projects in crisis-affected contexts.
The event includes delegates from Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Oman. Once participants have completed the MYCHA training, they will return to their home countries where they will be offered support by partner NGOs to implement the humanitarian action projects that they developed during the capacity building initiative.
"If we want effective humanitarian action we must have full participation of young people. We must recognise their strengths and capacities to be effective humanitarian activists and support their initiatives, as well as organisations engaged in humanitarian response. I see this training as a step into way to do this. Investing in young people is an investment in humanity. With our collective efforts we can strive to achieve a humanitarian system that is more effective and more inclusive," UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake conveyed in her video message presented during the opening of the programme.
ROTA Executive Director Essa al Mannai said the institution is committed to monitoring and advocating MYCHA for three years. He said,"We are delighted to welcome youth participants to this unprecedented training initiative that aims to mobilise the humanitarian efforts of youth from across the region. MYCHA will equip participants with the skills and knowledge to become effective agents of change in humanitarian action and global ambassadors of Qatar."
The opening programme also featured a panel discussion 'The Role of Youth in Transforming Humanitarian Action: How Can Stakeholders Support Youth Capacity?' moderated by Dr Sultan Barakat, director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute.
