Qatar Charity Signs Strategic Agreements with

Qatar Charity Signs Strategic Agreements with Turkish Humanitarian Organizations


12/20/2016 | Disaster


A Qatar Charity (QC) delegation, presided over by its CEO, Mr. Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, has signed Memoranda of Understanding with a number of Turkish relief organizations and humanitarian actors, both in the capital Ankara and in Istanbul, which cover areas of cooperation in development and relief inside and outside of Turkey, and which mainly focus on providing aid to affected Syrians.

QC CEO, Mr. Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, expressed his appreciation of cooperation with Turkish strategic partners with extensive experience in the humanitarian field, noting that this cooperation stems from the Association's effort to cooperate with international and regional humanitarian organizations. Al Kuwari added that this cooperation will be positively reflected in the services provided to Syrian refugees and displaced people.

Al Kuwari explained that we expect to increase the speed of services provided to our Syrian and Turkish brothers by opening a QC regional Office in Ankara at the beginning of this year, as well as by entering into several important strategic partnerships with other partners.

Turkish Red Crescent

QC signed, over the course of two days, three Memoranda of Understanding with the Turkish Red Crescent, IHH and AFAD.

The first MOU was signed between QC and the Turkish Red Crescent at the latter’s Istanbul Office. It was signed by QR CEO, Mr. Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, and Turkish Red Crescent President, Dr. Karam Kink. This MOU focuses on cooperation in critical areas in relation to humanitarian and developmental services inside and outside of Turkey, whereby the parties will strengthen and support their efforts in the aforementioned areas and in countries where they have presence, or even in countries where neither of them have presence but where they wish to provide services to the affected and needy all the same. Under this Convention and in such case, both parties will be able to cooperate in such a way that the party that does not have a presence in the concerned country can provide services there by means of the other party.

Cooperation covers several areas between the two parties, but most importantly: preparedness and response to disasters, water and sanitation, shelter and housing, health support, medical rehabilitation, food security, livelihood support, food aid, nutrition, education, vocational training, capacity building, social welfare, agriculture and support. This General Convention is valid for 5 years and may be renewed for similar periods.

Gift

In addition to this General Convention, a Sub-convention was also signed for the Syrian brethren, whereby both parties have allocated 10 million USD to providing vital services over the course of the next five years. The most important of areas are: education, primary and secondary healthcare, vocational training and job creation, capacity building, and psychosocial support.

In addition to signing the Convention with the Turkish Red Crescent, QC donated an ambulance to the Red Crescent Branch in Antakya at the request of the branch in order to distribute relief aid to Syrian refugees and support Turkish Red Crescent branch efforts to cooperate and visit the camps located in southern Turkey.

Turkish IHH

In the same context, QC and Turkish IHH have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding for five years, subject to renewal for other similar period, which focuses on cooperation in several areas inside and outside of Turkey.

Furthermore, in addition to this General Convention, sub-conventions have been signed for the Syrian brethren, whereby 3,507,595 QR has been allocated to help provide winter relief materials for Syria, in addition to operating Cleese restaurant for four months. The Convention was signed by QC CEO, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, and IHH President, Bülent Yıldırım.

Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey

Under the auspices of the Qatar Ambassador in Turkey, Mr. Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi, the Ankara QC Office has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AFAD, which is valid for five years and centers on cooperation regarding humanitarian and relief efforts inside and outside of Turkey.

Upon signing this Convention, QC allocated 3,300,000 USD to support shelter efforts our Syrian brethren through AFAD.

AFAD was established in 2009 as a governmental institution affiliated with the Prime Minister and under his supervision to carry out the tasks assigned to it. It has made an unprecedented effort in international humanitarian work, especially in relation to receiving and accommodating more than three million Syrian refugees.

Currently, AFAD has 81 branches across the provinces of Turkey, as well as 11 search and rescue units. Despite being the sole authority concerned with disaster and emergency situations, AFAD cooperates with a wide range of governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations in accordance with the nature and severity of individual cases.

These Conventions were the culmination of QC’s efforts to address the impact of the ongoing Syrian crisis and to alleviate the suffering of Syrian people, refugees and displaced people.

Cumulative Efforts

It should be noted that QC has made, and continues to make, many efforts to help our Syrian brethren since the beginning of the crisis. It implemented several relief projects for Syrian people between April 2011 and November 2016 that benefited 8 million people inside Syria and in neighboring countries.

A lot of aid has been directed to the areas of food security, shelter and non-food items, as well as health and education projects.

Thanks to opening a regional QC office in Ankara at the beginning of this year, QC expects to increase services directed at crisis-affected Syrian and Turkish people in the coming period.

The conventions were signed in the presence of Mr. Faisal Alfahidh, QC Executive Director for Operations Management, Khaled Awanulla, QC Supervision Director and Muhammad Wahi, the QC Regional Director in Turkey.