The Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), with the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), announced the launch of a joint project between CHS and RACA to develop the first sectoral strategy in Qatar for coordinated humanitarian action. Under the joint project, a symposium will be organised by CHS on Sunday, 12 June 2022.
The project adds to the existing partnership between CHS and RACA as an academic arm to document the experiences of the Qatari humanitarian sector and support the development of future humanitarian response in accordance with international standards.
This strategy falls within the context of streamlining the humanitarian sector, for the first time in the Arab world, within the Second National Development Strategy (2018-2022) to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030. The National Vision aims to build the professional capacities of humanitarian organisations to devise and implement effective response in line with the principles of transparency, impartiality, independence, and humanity.
Work on developing the strategy began on 19 May, 2022 with a joint CHS-RACA meeting, held at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, for agreeing a roadmap to conduct an assessment of needs and targets across the sector and to establish a team of experts to lead the study. In light of the roadmap, several subsequent consultative meetings between CHS, RACA and Qatari humanitarian organisations were held, with the participation of Dr. Iyad Nasr, the former regional director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
A workshop to develop the strategy was organized on 2 June, 2022 with the participation of 57 representatives from 16 Qatari institutions in government and civil society. Discussion focussed on defining priorities for the humanitarian sector, strengthening coordination mechanisms at the national level, and promoting capacity building for the sector. Regular workshops with the participants were subsequently held and the findings of strategic analysis studies of the sector were also evaluated.
The CHS-RACA strategy for the humanitarian sector is scheduled for publication in September 2022 to coincide with the launch of the Third National Development Strategy for Qatar.