Qatar Fund for Development has announced support and emergency response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya escaping the escalating violence in the Rakhine State in Myanmar in co-operation with the Qatar Red Crescent.
Qatar Red Crescent, meanwhile, is preparing to launch an urgent campaign to support the basic needs for refugees in the areas of health, shelter, food and non-food supplies.
Qatar Fund for Development said in a press release yesterday that Qatar was among the first countries to immediately provide assistance and support after the outbreak of violence in Myanmar, in the context of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and increasing number of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh.
Director General of Qatar Fund for Development Khalifa bin Jassim al-Kuwari said this support stems from Qatar’s commitment towards vulnerable peoples who need quick humanitarian support.
He added that Qatar Fund for Development is keen on providing humanitarian and relief assistance to those most in need around the world without discrimination.
He noted that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that at least 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine State in Myanmar within 15 days after the outbreak of violence.
The violence has led to the displacement of thousands of Rohingya population to Bangladesh, which constitutes a new “humanitarian disaster”.
Al-Kuwari underlined that Qatar will not hesitate to provide support to alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya who are in desperate need of assistance, and to provide a decent life for refugees in Bangladesh.
For his part, Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi said the partnership between the Qatar Fund for Development and QRC in many relief tasks is based on mutual co-operation in the interests of affected families and communities.
He commended the support provided by Qatar Fund for the relief efforts for Rohingya refugees fleeing violence to Bangladesh.
Al-Hammadi noted that the Fund’s support comes as Qatar Red Crescent is preparing to launch an urgent emergency call in response to the urgent needs of the refugees, which is the provision of emergency materials including shelter, health bags, mobile clinics besides other programmes and projects.
A Qatar Red Crescent team is co-ordinating with officials at the Qatari embassy in Bangladesh to discuss the political and diplomatic situation of the crisis.
The team also held successive meetings with Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the International Federation of Societies and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in order to review the latest developments and the most important needs.
The team also paid field visits to sites hosting refugees in the Cox Bazar area for co-ordination and assessing the emergency needs.
The team has already begun to implement the emergency response plan developed in the light of available information, including support for the operation of mobile clinics in refugee-hosting areas, the provision of shelter materials and non-food assistance for the protection of the affected people and the preservation of their dignity and privacy, the distribution of hygiene kits and water, and the provision of water for drinking and personal use.

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