Doha: The Advisory Group on Disaster Management for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region held its first meeting of 2025, in Doha, on Thursday. In his opening remarks, HE Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), Faisal Mohamed Al Emadi, highlighted that the advisory group was established in 2012 to support national societies, coordinate efforts and share expertise with respect to managing disasters at the MENA level, stating that the first meeting is poised to address numerous interim objectives, foremost of which is presenting the group’s activities in 2024, preparing the workgroup action plans for 2025, deliberating on the outcomes of the meeting of the Secretaries-General and Presidents of national societies, as well as key performance indicators.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Emadi stated that the group comprises 17 technical national societies from Arab countries that are vested with the responsibility of developing contingency plans in states, fostering collective coordination among them at the levels of implementation and following-up, in addition to refining the national societies’ skills with respect to the urgent intervention operations.
Regarding the priorities for the coming period, His Excellency highlighted that such priorities are determined by reality on the ground and not the group, as long as conditions and emergencies normally require amendments to the developed plans, underscoring the flexibility of operations.
He indicated that leveraging technology in QRCS’s relief and humanitarian operations offers time and effort, and largely helps accelerate the response and intervention, especially since obtaining information and communicating it rapidly have an impactful role in identifying the type of humanitarian intervention needed for the injured, along with the required urgent needs, and other related matters and requirements.
For his part, Manager of International Affairs at the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA), Chairman of the group for the period 2024-2025, Abdulrahman Al Athel, said the group with its components, members and operation is capable of countering the challenges posed by crises and disasters, thanks to its concrete impact and comprehensive alertness plans, stressing that its operation has become a role model among organizations from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the region and beyond.
Al Athel praised the QRCS’s efforts in hosting this meeting, underlining that the participation of the Secretary-General of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization, Abdullah bin Suhail Al Muhaidli, in the meeting is a testament to the full harmony and collaboration between the two sides within the components of the international movement.
Al Athel highlighted to QNA the significance of this meeting in boosting partnership and enduring relationship between national red crescent and red cross societies in the region when disasters flare up, in addition to discussing critical issues pertaining to strategies and developing joint plans, as well as alertness and response, especially when there is an increasing need for relief and humanitarian interventions, along with the multiple crises, thereby requiring exchange of expertise among those national societies.
Al Muhaidli underscored to QNA that the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization is committed to following up on the plans developed by the Advisory Group on Disaster Management for MENA and its teams throughout the past years, along with its training programs for 2024, as well as updating its plans and programs for 2025 within the framework of disaster alertness, readiness, and response in the Arab region and beyond.
He added that the group operates numerous professional teams which are meant for developing contingency plans and response, as well as safe accessibility and handling the contamination of weapons.
The meeting was attended by the steering committee members, including representatives from SRCA, the Algerian Red Crescent (Vice-Chair of the Group), the Kuwaiti Red Crescent (Committee Advisor), the QRCS, the Iraqi Red Crescent, the Jordanian Red Crescent, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Libyan Red Crescent, and the Lebanese Red Cross, in addition to representatives from the Regional Office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in MENA and the Regional Movement Affairs Team for MENA at ICRC.