ReliefWeb

DOHA: The Third International Forum for Humanitarian Work began in Doha on May 19 amid warnings from the OIC that the humanitarian situation in several Muslim countries is worsening and that growing numbers of refugees are causing state institutes to collapse.

During his speech at the opening of the forum, Ambassador Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs at the OIC, said that humanitarian action today has become more difficult and that the world is more volatile.

“Yemen is suffering from a chronic political crisis and is in a more difficult and critical position,” said Youssef, adding that 16 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance in light of a severe shortage of food, water, medical supplies and other basic services.

Youssef described the humanitarian situation in Syria as worsening and said that the number of displaced people and refugees is on the rise. He further drew attendees’ attention to the pressure experienced by countries neighboring Syria which has reached a critical point. Youssef also drew attention to the increasing numbers of displaced people in Iraq and the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli blockade that has been ongoing for several years.

The humanitarian situation in Libya, said Youssef, is worsening, while thousands of Muslims in Myanmar have been forced to flee in boats of death. He also said that the situation in Sudan, Chad, Central Africa, Somalia and other countries is also worsening.

Despite the bleak picture, Youssef highlighted improvements in the face of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, executive director of the Department for International Development at the Qatar Charity, which is hosting the forum, concurred by saying that the humanitarian situation is getting worse, adding that the number of refugees worldwide increased in 2014, reaching more than 16 million. He also said that there are some 33 million internally displaced people in addition to 1.2 million asylum seekers. The number of refugees in the Muslim world, he added, accounts for 70 percent of the total number of the world’s refugees.

Speaking about relief workers, Al-Ghamdi said that last year 155 humanitarian workers were killed, 51 injured and 134 kidnapped.

Yahya Kamal Lamfun delivered a speech on behalf of Ihsan bin Saleh Al-Tayeb, Secretary-General of the International Islamic Relief Organization. Al-Tayeb said that the holding of events such as this benefits humanitarian work through the exchange of experiences and views.

Sessions during the first day of the forum discussed a number of issues surrounding humanitarian codes of conduct and and safe access to victims of armed conflicts.
Numerous research papers have been submitted at the forum on several topics, including how humanitarian organizations can remain neutral and independent in their work, not involve themselves in conflicts, risk management during humanitarian intervention, and the need to protect civilians and medical teams and workers in armed conflicts.