(MENAFN- QNA) A two-day workshop organised by Qatar Red Crescent's (QRC) in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative Office to the GCC, the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO)
mulled legal rights of refugees.
Seventy-five experts on refugee issues from QRC, UNHCR, ARCO, Syrian embassy in Qatar and Doctors Without Borders attended the workshop titled 'Legal Framework of Refugee Protection.
Participants discussed topics like legal framework for international protection of refugees, international humanitarian law (IHL) in the cases of armed conflict, concept of refuge between human rights and IHL, humanitarian approach during television coverage of crises, legal foundation and exceptions of the principle of non-expulsion and non-refoulement, protection of vulnerable groups, psychological support of Syrian refugees, and voices from the humanitarian field - QRC's experience.
QRC Secretary General Saleh bin Ali Al-Mohannadi spoke on QRC's refugee work in Somalia, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, and Mali, both from IHL and relief perspectives.
"This workshop discussed common ground of IHL and human rights on the one hand and the Islamic Sharia on the other. The voluntary return of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and challenges such as the time needed to restore their normal lives in their home regions, and how to bring children back to school after years of non-schooling, and other problems that require us to work together to find solutions," said Al-Mohannadi.
UNHCR Representative Office to the GCC's International Protection Officer Dr. Yousef Al-Drarka told the participants, "Around 142 countries are members of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. While the MENA region has the biggest share of refugees, it has only Yemen as a signatory to the convention.
"Often, there is no refugee legal system in the region, but only bilateral agreements with UNHCR. These agreements, however, are less of a solid legal framework than we hope for our region."
The workshop came up with several recommendations - organizing a regular workshop on refugee issues to be hosted alternately by a GCC country every year; pushing for legal protections and legislation for refugees; and promoting a popular culture of supporting the refugees and securing their needs.
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