The Gulf state has donated $17.5 million to the humanitarian entity since the start of the year.

Qatar is one of the top 10 donors for multi-year contributions to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the world, making it crucial to the global response to tragedies and emergencies, the refugee agency told Doha News.

The Gulf state was also among the top 20 donors of the UN entity, highlighting Doha’s important role in providing humanitarian assistance to disadvantaged communities worldwide.

“Qatar has been a strong and reliable partner to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for over a decade, providing vital support to our Operations and programmes in support of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons around the world,”Ayat El-Dewary, UNHCR Representative to the State of Qatar told Doha News.

The UN organisation noted that since 2019, Qatar has provided multi-year contributions to its relief efforts by collaborating with various entities in the Gulf state.

Qatar’s government and other Qatari organisations have so far donated $33 million to UNHCR for 2022, most of which went towards responding to the Syria Situation, the Yemen crisis and Somalia.

“These allows UNHCR to use resources where they are needed most, which is crucial in kickstarting responses to emergencies and other situations,” El-Dewary.

The Gulf state funds education and health, provides shelter and also supports the livelihoods of people in need around the globe. The donations target populations in the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and the Pacific regions.

“Additional funding from QFFD and other Qatari organisations is also making a big difference and largely impacting on the lives of the most vulnerable globally. We are proud and grateful for these longstanding partnerships that help us provide much needed assistance for the forcibly displaced to live in dignity,” she added.

Contributions

Qatar has donated $17.5 million to the UNHCR since the start of the year, most of which went towards responding to crises in Syria, South Sudan and Afghanistan.

Last year, Qatar provided the UNHCR with $23.1 million of much-needed humanitarian assistance. 

Out of the total, $2,562,275 supported efforts in Afghanistan in light of the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August, at the height of multiple crises due to years of war and drought.

During the developments in Afghanistan, Qatar carried out history’s largest airlift of people by evacuating more than 70,000 Afghans and foreigners from the country. 

It has also supported Afghans in Kabul amid hesitancy from the international community to support the crisis-hit country due to the presence of the Taliban-led government.

In the last two week, QFFD sent over batches of urgent humanitarian aid following a tragic earthquake that struck the provinces of Khost and Paktika. More than 1,000 people were killed during the earthquakes as thousands of homes were destroyed.

Meanwhile, Qatar allocated $5 million through the QFFD in April to support Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons as the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.

According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 6.2 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine due to the ongoing war.

Seeking to provide more humanitarian assistance, QFFD and the UNHCR inked a $8 million agreement in December last year for the year 2021-2022. 

“In light of the currently escalating challenges and record levels of forced displacements, this flexible funding will support UNHCR’s efforts to respond to the growing needs and emergencies around the world,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at the time.