Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Qatar Ahmed Lotfy Mohsen has affirmed that the strategic partnership with Qatar serves as a pivotal pillar in addressing global humanitarian crises.
Speaking to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), he stated that Qatar – represented by government bodies and charitable institutions – has, through its close co-operation with the UN agency, provided financial contributions totaling $440mn since 2010.
These funds, Mohsen said, have supported protection programmes and provided life-saving assistance to forcibly displaced persons worldwide.
He added that Qatar’s support extends beyond the financial realm to include logistical and in-kind assistance.
This includes, the official said, facilitating the transport of relief supplies to acute crisis zones – such as Afghanistan and Lebanon – as well as playing a prominent diplomatic role in fostering the stability and dialogue necessary for implementing voluntary return and local integration programmes.
On the actual impact on the ground, Mohsen noted that the support included $40mn provided through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) since 2019 in the form of flexible, unearmarked funding.
This, he said, granted the UNHCR exceptional flexibility to respond rapidly to emergencies and direct resources toward the most underfunded operations, thereby ensuring the continuity of essential services such as healthcare, education, and shelter.
Regarding innovative financing tools and Islamic philanthropy, Mohsen noted that total contributions from Qatar – comprising Zakat and voluntary charity – since 2018 have amounted to nearly $145mn.
This includes a strategic agreement signed by Qatar Charity (QC) last June to contribute $10mn to the Global Islamic Fund for Refugees (GIFR).
The UN official stated that the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) – convening under the theme Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All and coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention – marks a pivotal moment to reflect on the legacy of international protection and to reaffirm the commitment to upholding the dignity and rights of the forcibly displaced.
He added that escalating global humanitarian challenges and the unprecedented number of displaced persons necessitate active international solidarity and the building of effective partnerships.
Mohsen pointed out that the strategic partnership between the UNHCR and Qatar serves as a successful, real-world model of constructive co-operation between governments and international organisations in addressing complex humanitarian crises.