Doha/ Information Office/ 22 February 2017/ Doha hosted today a meeting over establishing a network for NGOs concerned with refugees in the Middle-East, with 25 organizations taking part in the meeting.

They focused on discussing the nature, vision and role of the network. They also discussed its potential activities for this year. Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator Amin Awad said that the meeting will be a great boost towards enhancing cooperation between NGOs in the region under a big umbrella group that can face the great challenges posed by political transitions in the region.

He pointed out to some of the alarming statistics that makes forming the network a necessity. For example the region's population of the entire world represents 6 percent, yet its refugees represent 50% of the entire world. He stressed on the importance of uniting efforts to prevent the dangerous phenomenon from expanding even further.

For his part, Envoy of UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Dr Ahmed Al Muraikhi said that the meeting was a good platform to discuss enhancing cooperation in the humanitarian field. He noted that 143 million people in 33 countries are in need of some sort of humanitarian assistance or another. This would require funding of $23 billion in 2017 alone.