Qatar has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to enhance its strategic relations and partnerships with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and to provide the necessary support for its activities and efforts.

HE the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lolwah Rashid Alkhater pointed out, in the statement of Qatar at the Global Refugee Forum, to the struggle of 5.4mn Palestinian refugees and stressed the need for finding a just solution based on related international resolutions, and to continue supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

She stressed that the government of Qatar and Qatari charitable organisations were committed to enhancing the partnership with the UNHCR.

She noted that Qatar provided $60mn to the UNHCR over the last five years, while Qatar Fund for Development provided aid to the tune of $235mn from 2013 to 2019 to countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and the Rohingyas in Bangladesh.

She said that Qatar signed agreements to support the UNHCR, and is considered one of the biggest donors to the UN agency. HE Alkhater noted that Qatar has launched many humanitarian initiatives, such as Education Above All, that pledged to provide education to 10mn children, 2.3mn of which are refugees. She also discussed the QUEST initiative which aims to benefit 619,000 Syrian refugees, and added that Silatech provides vocational training to roughly a million young people. The organisation is also working on providing 5mn jobs by 2022, particularly to refugees.

She noted that Qatar issued in 2018 a law regulating political asylum, stressing its humanitarian role in protecting refugees. She added that the law was part of a larger legal framework that aims to enhance and protect human rights.



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