Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) announced its support and collaboration with the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy during its annual Ramadan Suhoor event.
The collaboration will see the QFC facilitate the increased mobilisation of the private sector on key global humanitarian issues, as well as assist with the promotion of these challenges in order to increase awareness among the greater business community.
This comes following the QFC’s participation at the Global Humanitarian Action Alliance in Davos, Switzerland, as well as at a private sector engagement event which was recently organised in Doha by the Qatar Chamber.
Qatari composer Dana Alfardan
The first initiative to result from this collaboration is the QFC’s support and promotion of the ‘Hope for Gaza’ initiative, which is organised by the UN Secretary-General's Humanitarian Envoy, Dr Ahmed al-Meraikhi; Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS); United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and Qatari composer Dana Alfardan.
The campaign aims to mobilise financial resources during the holy month of Ramadan to support the services provided by UNRWA for Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
The QFC has created a dedicated webpage to encourage contributions to this important humanitarian initiative.
Held under the theme ‘Unity in Diversity’, the QFC’s Ramadan Suhoor event emphasised the importance, extent, and impact of its social investment programmes and how socially responsible business practices can impact global humanitarian issues and the ever-increasing need for greater engagement by the private sector in meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr Ahmed al-Meraikhi, UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy.
The event was attended by Dr al-Meraikhi; Ali Hassan al-Hammadi, secretary-general, Qatar Red Crescent Society; and Dana Alfardan.
Representatives from key UN agencies, QFC firms, media, and other key stakeholders were also in attendance.
QFC chief executive officer Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida said: “We are honoured to work with the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy. This collaboration comes in light of the QFC’s previous engagements with the office of HE Dr al-Meraikhi, both in Davos earlier this year and last month in Doha, and we remain confident that our work together will lead to actionable and effective outcomes.”
Al-Jaida added: “By engaging with businesses licensed on the QFC’s platform, together we can shed light on some of the most pressing humanitarian issues facing people around the world today, and work towards activating the private sector in addressing these pressing concerns.”
Sarah al-Dorani, chief marketing and corporate communications officer, QFC said: “QFC has always been strongly involved with all walks of our community which remains a top priority for us when it comes to our social investment efforts, but as we move to a more globalised era this responsibility demands that we cross borders to try to make a positive and tangible impact wherever it may be most needed.”
Ali Hassan al-Hammadi, secretary-general, QRCS.
Al-Dorani added: “QFC is committed to becoming a true agent of meaningful change which entails a rethinking of our commitments to our community and a reimagining of corporate social responsibility, into social investment.”
Dr al-Meraikhi noted: "I am grateful to QFC and Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida for his continued support to the United Nations and bringing the private sector closer to engaging on the humanitarian response to help more than 132mn people in need. We are all in this together. The 2030 Agenda, with its 17 SDGs, is universal and it calls for action to ensure no one is left behind. This means mobilising all resources - technology development, financial resources, capacity building - and dynamic multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver effectiveness and impact.”
Al-Hammadi said: “For NGOs, financial and corporate organisations are the first and foremost source of financial, in-kind, and logistic support. They play a key role in delivering the humanitarian aid to beneficiaries everywhere, reflecting their firm belief in partnership and corporate social responsibility.”
Dana Alfardan said: “I am incredibly honoured to be part of this important and needed initiative. Spending time in Jordan has shown me the amount of difficulties that Palestinians face on daily basis. It’s the duty of every Arab and every Qatari to stand by them and support them through this time of critical need. I do hope that during the holy month of Ramadan we make a conscious choice to support the right cause.”
The QFC’s Social Investment programme has seen some 22 partnerships secured with various stakeholders around the country, while more than 60 “recurring volunteers” from the QFC have taken part in its Busmah initiative which engaged with a number of organisations. Other important CSR programmes include establishing a financial literacy programme for the hearing impaired, from which 18 students graduated.
QFC’s CSR and Social Investment strategy ‘United for Good’ underscores the QFC’s long-term commitment to its ethical, social and environmental responsibilities, and focuses on two key pillars, youth and education and community development, with a special focus on encouraging Financial Literacy within the local community.
The programme has played an instrumental role in driving socially-conscious initiatives that address the long-term needs of the community.
