UNHCR conducts workshops on international refugee law

As part of the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) ongoing strategy to enhance partnerships with official and local institutions in Qatar, UNHCR’s regional office concluded two workshops in Qatar, in partnership with the Qatar Ministry of Justice, Qatar Development Fund and Qatar Charity Foundation.
The first training session on “Protecting Refugees in a time of Humanitarian Crises”, was organised in co-ordination with the Ministry of Justice’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law. The workshop, which focused on the definition of international refugee law and the international refugee treaties and conventions, was attended by experts and specialists in international humanitarian law.
Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR regional representative to the Gulf Co-operation Council Countries, observed that the workshop, a first of its kind with the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, addressed topics which are of particular relevance in light of the unprecedented numbers of refugees and displaced persons, exceeding 65 million globally.”
“Working together with local and national institutions in Qatar on international protection issues is a reflection of Qatar’s commitment towards humanitarian issues around the world,” Khalifa added.
During the same week, UNHCR also concluded a workshop in collaboration with the Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity. The workshop focused on the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) for Syrian Refugees which tackles the Syrian humanitarian crisis, that has displaced over 4.8mn people to neighbouring countries in the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to displacing over six million people inside Syria.
The workshop addressed the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its impact on refugees and host communities. Methods to enhance the co-ordination of humanitarian response between UNHCR and national institutions for a more efficient response to 3RP was also highlighted by the participants, who included representatives from the Government of Qatar and Qatari charity foundations.