Qatar Red Crescent Society

The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS; Arabic: جمعية الهلال الأحمر القطري), the Qatari branch of the Red Crescent Society, was established in 1978. In 1981, it gained international recognition from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva and joined the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It is also a member of the Secretariat of Arab Red Crescent Societies in Jeddah.[1] It became the first philanthropic organization in Qatar to establish a women's branch in 1982.[2]

The headquarters of the Qatar Red Crescent Society in Doha

QRC is headquartered in Doha, but the organization works throughout the country. Their primary goal is to reduce detrimental effects of catastrophe and relieve suffering by contributing social and humanitarian services coinciding with the mission of its parent organization, the Red Crescent.[3]

Activities

Domestic activities

QRC was the first voluntary charity organization in Qatar. It is very active in aiding and developing relief programs for victims of disaster worldwide. Within Qatar, their programs include social development, training and qualification, awareness and education, programs and medical service, and advocacy community issues. Internationally QRC engages in relief and humanitarian activities, development and empowerment, and advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy.[4]

During the conflict in the Gaza strip in fall 2014, the QRC helped, with Qatari government contributions, by providing medical supplies and fuel for hospitals.[5]

Mali

Qatar Red Crescent Society was the only humanitarian organization present in Northern Mali following the Islamist takeover.[6] This presence raised questions over whether QRC was supporting the Islamists or helping local population. QRC's stated purpose of the mission was to "distribute food aid to 1,000 households and conduct an assessment of the population’s needs in water, sanitation, health and food security."[7]

Gaza Strip

In the September 2014 Gaza conflict, QRC was on the ground providing medical and ambulance services. They also donated several million Qatari Riyals to provide relief for Gaza.[8] On May 17, 2021, the offices run by QRC in Gaza were destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, as a result of ongoing confrontations.[9]

Syria

The QRC has also been active in Syria where it has engaged in ongoing humanitarian efforts to build roads in the Latakia Countryside and ensure secure transportation of those injured in the conflict to safer adjacent territories.[10] They also launched a psychological support center in 2013 for refugees of the Syrian crisis.[11] On August 13th 2023, Qatar Red Crescent Society launched a fundraising campaign that ensured life-saving medical care for patients with cancer in northern Syria. The campaign raised QR 5,060,000 in donations. QRCS provided essential chemotherapy and immunotherapy medications for 220 Syrian refugees and displaced people with cancer. QRCS immediately allocated $1 million to procure quantities of medicines, diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.[12]

Sudan

In West Darfur, QRC has been instrumental in providing agricultural machinery to improve the livelihoods of local communities. QRC has had a representative office in West Darfur to oversee its projects there since 2009.[13]

Partnerships

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies partnered with Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network in May 2014. This agreement built on relations developed over several years between QRC and Al Jazeera.[14] The goal of the agreement was to give a voice to the voiceless by drawing attention and support to the victims of disasters.[15]

In coordination with QRC, the IFRC signed a partnership agreement in 2013 with Qatar's Cultural Village Foundation ("Katara") to help build more resilient and peaceful communities in the Middle East and North Africa.[16]

In August 2012, QRC signed a partnership agreement with the Mali Red Cross to "ensure strong coordination in planning and implementing projects in Northern Mali".[7]

Accusations of ties to extremism

Operating in several areas of conflict, Qatar Red Crescent Society has been accused through blogs and think tank publications of supporting Islamist and terrorist groups.[17] However it has always been cleared from these accusations of support to terrorism by the United Nations.[18]

In August 2014, there was data showing investments from QRC for Hussam Badran, a prominent Hamas figure who has been a linked with bombings in Tel Aviv in the past. But and soon after 2015 when ferocity got out of control in the region, Qatar decided to stop it’s support for any of the extremist groups claimed The Economist.The country changed its policies and asked those members to leave Qatar.[19] Organizations like the Qatar Charity and the Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charity Association have been allegedly connected to terrorist groups over the past years due to dissonance about their its functioning and investments, though the United Nations publicly rejected these claims and subsequently co-organized high-profile activities with these relief organizations in 2017.[20] In this initiative, all 3 Qatari organizations contributed for the Syrian refugees and signed agreements worth $8.5 million with World Food Programme, UNICEF, World Health Organization, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The deal was signed in Doha during July 2018.[21] According to organizations like The United Nations and US Department of state, Qatar is the second largest contributor to the United Nations fund for counter terrorism out of the total 35 donors. This was revealed in the Fourth high level strategic dialogue with the united nation’s office of counter terrorism (UNOCT) during March 2022. Both parties (Qatar and UNOCT) discussed strategic priorities and collaboration for effective United Nations support to member’s state on counter terrorism.

It was also disclosed that in 2019, the Qatari government drafted new AML/CFT legislation, which finalized and passed into law in September and as of that year, there have been no terrorist activities in Qatar. The nation maintains an inter-agency of National anti-terrorism committee (NATC) which is composed of representatives from more than 10 government agencies says the country reports on terrorism 2019 by US Department of state.[22][23]

None of the Qatari humanitarian organizations has ever been listed on the UN terror list established and maintained pursuant to Security Council res. 1267/1989/2253.[24]

Organization

The leadership of QRC includes the following individuals:[25]

  • Chairman of the Board/President: Dr. Mohammed Bin Ghanim A. Al-Ali Almaadid
  • Secretary General: Saleh Ali Al-Muhanadi
  • Acting Director of Finance and Investment: Mohamed Mohiy Khalifa
  • Director of Human Resources and Admin Services: Nayef Faisal S. Almohannadi
  • Director of Medical Affairs: Dr. Hassan Alyafi
  • Director of Organizational Development: Muhammad Mujahid
  • Director of Public Communications Department: Rajaa Saleh
  • Director of Resource Mobilization: Saad Shaheen Al-Kaabi
  • Director of Social Development: Rashid Saad Almohanadi
  • Head of International Relations: Fawzi Oussedik
  • Head of Volunteering: Najat Abdrhman Al-Haidous

References
  1. "Pages - Foundation & Specialty". www.qrcs.org.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  2. "Qatari Women". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  3. "Qatar Red Crescent Society". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  4. "Pages - International Activities". www.qrcs.org.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  5. "Qatar Red Crescent responds to immediate and long-term needs in Gaza". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  6. "Africa - Is Qatar fuelling the crisis in north Mali?". France 24. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  7. "Putting the community at the centre of disaster response and risk reduction in Mali". IFRC. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. "Qatar Red Crescent responds to immediate and long-term needs in Gaza". IFRC. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  9. "Israel jets strike Qatar Red Crescent office in Gaza". Anadolu Agency. 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  10. "QRC Helps Open Humanitarian Corridors in Latakia Countryside". Reliefweb.int. 2015-06-21. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  11. "Qatar Red Crescent Society establishes psychological services centre for Syrian refugees". IFRC. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  12. "QRCS launches fundraising campaign for cancer patients in Syria [EN/AR] - Syrian Arab Republic | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-08-13. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
  13. "Development Projects in West Darfur". Reliefweb.int. 2015-06-21. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  14. "Arabian Drag Racing League". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  15. "Al Jazeera media network and the IFRC to enhance cooperation and 'give a voice to the voiceless'". IFRC. 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  16. "KATARA foundation and the IFRC sign partnership to build stronger Red Cross Red Crescent societies". IFRC. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  17. Makar, A. B.; McMartin, K. E.; Palese, M.; Tephly, T. R. (June 1975). "Formate assay in body fluids: application in methanol poisoning". Biochemical Medicine. 13 (2): 117–126. doi:10.1016/0006-2944(75)90147-7. ISSN 0006-2944. PMID 1.
  18. see e.g. the UN terror list established and maintained pursuant to Security Council resolution 1267/1989/2253
  19. "The Muslim Brotherhood is tearing itself apart". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  20. "Qatar charities and UN sign deals worth $8.5m for Syria". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  21. "Qatar charities and UN sign deals worth 85m for Syria". Islamweb. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  22. "Fourth High-Level Strategic Dialogue between the State of Qatar & UNOCT | Office of Counter-Terrorism". www.un.org. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  23. "Country Reports on Terrorism 2019". US Department of state.
  24. "United Nations Security Council |".
  25. "Qatar Red Crescent Society". IFRC. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
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