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Qatar Charity (QC) has sponsored the first conference to support development in Syria, held recently in Istanbul in co-ordination with Al Sham Islamic Association. |
During the event, QC announced a donation of QR5mn for the implementation of development projects in Syria.
The conference aimed to support the shift towards humanitarian development in Syria, allow communities to become self-sufficient and enhance their cohesion and steadfastness in the face of humanitarian challenges.
The QC delegation included Sheikh Abdullah al-Saada, director of food security programmes; Mohamed Adrdor, director of disaster preparedness and response; Abdul Rabi bin Sahraa, associate director of planning and international co-operation; and Mohamed Komni, QC co-ordinator for Syrian Relief, who is based in Rihaniyya on the Syrian-Turkish border.
The conference was attended by 120 representatives from 60 international organisations, donors and experts in development work, and major organisations and associations working in the field of humanitarian action.
Al-Saada said QC has till date spent over QR47mn to provide relief of the Syrian people, benefiting more than 2mn, more than any other humanitarian organisation in the period until the end of 2013, according to a report issued by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.
He pointed out that QC has also participated in a number of conferences and forums for Syria, co-ordinating efforts and improving output.
He noted QC’s wish that the latest conference would contribute to achieving the goal of supporting development work in order to meet the need of the Syrian society for self-production, which enhances cohesion and helps people overcome their
difficult circumstances.
During the second session, and after viewing a film on QC’s efforts in Syria, al-Saada announced QC’s
donation of QR5mn.
The conference included the presentation of a number of papers by organisations such as Islamic Development Bank and Gulf and Syrian relief organisations, including one presented by QC’s planning and international co-operation director, titled “The transition from relief to development: between reality and expectations”, as well as a presentation on QC’s efforts in the development field.
Adrdor gave a presentation titled “Qatar Charity’s contribution to the development of societies and the prospects for development projects in a state of emergency”.
The aims of the conference included highlighting the significant role played by development work in support of the Syrian people and inspiring stakeholders to support development work in Syria with a focus on the future, among others.
