Stress on ‘humanitarian diplomacy’

Dr al-Maadheed (third left) addresses the opening session yesterday as other speakers look on.

Humanitarian aid organisations should develop strategies and keep up with sweeping changes in the world to be able to ease the suffering of the vulnerable, Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) chairman Dr Mohamed bin Ghanem al-Ali al-Maadheed has said.“Such organisations have to update their working methods to maintain better communication with the younger generations,” he said while addressing an open session of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) Red Cross and Red Crescent Consultative Meeting, which began in Doha yesterday. They should also employ effective humanitarian diplomatic tactics, so that they can reach out to the deprived areas of conflicts and offer the much-needed timely aid to the victims of armed and political disputes. “There are areas of conflict which are very difficult to access, such as Northern Iraq and Northern Syria. People are greatly suffering there and many are dying. Humanitarian organisations ought to create an access to them through the tactics of humanitarian diplomacy and rise above political differences,” he said.The three-day consultative meeting is attended by representatives of 31 Mena and non-Mena national societies, including all the Arab countries, Iran, France, America, the UK, Germany, Norway and Denmark. Other participants include senior officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), including IFRC secretary general Elhadj As Sy; IFRC under secretary general Matthias Schmale, Elias Ghanem, Mena director, and Dr Abdullah Mohamed al-Hazzaa, secretary general of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organisation.Al-Maadheed said that the Mena region is witnessing deep changes that cannot be ignored. “In this transitional period, these conditions pose serious challenges to each of our national societies. Evidently, 70-75% of our populations are youths. We can help keep the balance and avoid fluctuations, but the real driver remains the youth.”He said societies could successfully undertake their mission only when they stick to the overall humanitarian principles. He called upon them to think out of the box and assume a positive role in upholding social peace, strengthening societies, and build individuals and cultures both locally and internationally. Otherwise they will become weaker and eventually get marginalised.Al-Hazzaa said the meeting is being held at a critical time when the region is witnessing armed conflicts and snowstorms, which require new priorities and capacity-building, particularly as preparations are underway for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent conference 2015 in Geneva and the Global Humanitarian Summit 2016 in Turkey.Ghanem praised the QRC’s role in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, as well as its achievements in implementing the recommendations of the meetings in Cairo and Tunisia, notably the enhancement of region-wide disaster preparedness and response capacity, creation of strong national societies and the engagement of the youth as an IFRC general strategy. He expected more achievements ahead, but with concerted efforts from RCRC main players.A seminar was held to review the current humanitarian situation in the region in general, and in particular in the crisis-hit countries such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Lebanon, and Jordan, to discuss the challenges and actions needed to overcome them. It was moderated by Saleh bin Ali al-Muhannadi, QRC secretary general.During the session, presentations were made by representatives of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Palestine Red Crescent, the Iraqi Red Crescent, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Libyan Red Crescent, and the Lebanese Red Cross.Today’s session will see constitutional meetings to review amendments proposed to the International RCRC Movement charter, widely known as the Seville Agreement, as well as to make preliminary deliberations about RCRC co-ordination and guidelines of using Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems in the media.Tomorrow, there will be discussions about recommendations for the World Humanitarian Summit to be convened by the United Nations in Istanbul in 2016, and how to engage national societies strongly in preparing for it and contributing to its success.