New York / Information Office / December 08
The State of Qatar has stressed the importance of coordinating international response to humanitarian crises, while noting the important role made by the UN system in making progress on the ground and in providing and coordinating humanitarian relief and rescue. In particular, Qatar commended the pivotal role of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in providing urgent, effective and life-saving assistance.
This came in a statement delivered by HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani at the Annual High-Level Pledging Conference for the CERF, which said that the conference was held within the UN efforts to address the aggravated humanitarian crises and conflicts and the frequent disasters, and the burden placed on the United Nations and all concerned partners.
Her Excellency stressed that international partnership and cooperation to face common challenges are a cornerstone of the State of Qatar's policy. In the light of the severe impacts of crises and conflicts that no longer exclude a region or a territory in our world coupled with the unfolding humanitarian crisis and suffering of millions of victims of these conflicts, and out of the State of Qatar's responsibility and moral obligations, and in implementation of the principle of humanitarian partnership in the vision of HH the Emir of the State of Qatar to alleviate human suffering, the State of Qatar has made $40 million multi-year pledge and is not allocated to the core resources of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), she said, adding that this will make Qatar among the first donors to the OCHA and will enable the Office to carry out its mandate entrusted to it by the international community.
In accordance with the State of Qatar's commitment to make active efforts to assist in the provision of humanitarian assistance and acknowledging the central role of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in responding to the most urgent needs and meeting urgent humanitarian needs, the State of Qatar provided more than $12 million to the Fund in 2011-2016, Her Excellency said, pointing out that the State of Qatar also pledged $5 million for a five-year period (2017-2021) to the CERF. The first payment was made in the amount of $1 million of the value of the pledge this year.
Concluding, HE Sheikha Alia expressed Qatar's aspiration to continue working closely with the OCHA to advance humanitarian and relief work, stressing that Qatar will continue to support the CERF to enable it to continue to fulfill its mandate and it encourages all states to do so.