Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) president Dr Mohamed bin Ghanem al-Ali al-Maadheed, who is also vice-president of the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is leading a 48-person delegation of Red Cross Red Crescent experts to the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18/CMP8).
Dr al-Maadheed is also representing the IFRC at the high-level segment meetings, which began on Tuesday involving government ministers, state secretaries, leaders of international and intergovernmental organisations, and other heads of delegation from around the world.
Dr al-Maadheed hosted Red Cross and Red Crescent climate change experts at the QRC headquarters in Doha on Monday for an in-depth briefing session.
The delegation included representatives from Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies from Qatar, Austria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Finland, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands and the US, as well as a number of volunteers from QRC.
The mission of the Red Cross Red Crescent during the climate negotiations is to provide decision-makers with a firsthand account of the impact of climate change on local communities around the world.
During the briefing session on Monday, Dr al-Maadheed stated that the 187 Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies, including QRC, are well-positioned to understand and respond quickly to the needs of local
communities.
“Our vast network of staff and volunteers are on the ground, and every day they witness the worsening impact of climate change on the most vulnerable. It is our job to make sure that populations can adapt to climate change and be prepared for climate-related disasters in order to help build more resilient, peaceful
communities.”
The 18th session of the COP is organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Due to the IFRC’s unique position as permanent observer to the UN, it has a privileged role during the event and participated for the first time during COP6.
Through its participation, the IFRC has encouraged legally-binding agreements that address root causes and symptoms of climate change by reducing risk and impact of natural phenomena resulting from climate change and building resilience to disasters.
Mohamed Mukhier, the head of IFRC’s Community Preparedness and Disaster Response Department, said the Red Cross Red Crescent role in climate change adaptation, mitigation and risk reduction is critical.
“By participating in COP18, we are playing a proactive role by being the voice of the most vulnerable to raise awareness about the humanitarian impact of climate-related crises and to ensure that the discussions are centred around vulnerabilities, risk and the urgency to take action.”
QRC and the International Federation are working closely together throughout COP18, including in showcasing their work at the official IFRC booth at Qatar National Convention Centre. QRC has supported the International Federation in organising an official IFRC side event on Monday.