By Mohamed Osman

Doha: A three-day conference on Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen that ended here yesterday announced to raise $223m from donors over the next three years for humanitarian and relief work in the country.

Of the targeted $223m which would help meet the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people $117m will come from Qatari donors.

This will include $1m from Islamic Dawa Organisation (Qatar’s bureau) while Qatar Charity which held the conference has pledged $1m for the purpose over the next three years.

Dr Ahmad Mohamed Al Muraikhi Director of International Development Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm commitment to stand by the Yemeni people during their humanitarian plight.

Qatar has not spared and will not spare in future any effort to support the Yemeni people’s cause and provide humanitarian assistance and support all efforts and initiatives aimed at ending their suffering Dr Al Muraikhi added. Helping Yemeni people is possible only through cooperation and continuous dialogue as well by developing technical mechanisms and measures to alleviate humanitarian sufferings in accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030 one of whose lofty goals is to solve crisis and achieving peace security and stability in the world he said.

Al Muraikhi praised efforts of the charities in Qatar to help alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people in cooperation with international organisations particularly the UN entities and programmes.

He highlighted the Qatari government’s assistance and efforts to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Yemen saying these efforts are a continuation of Qatar’s relief mission embodied through its participation in the aerial campaign and sending ships to Djibouti with humanitarian supplies for Yemen.

He referred to a field hospital set up by Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) highlighting ongoing efforts to help ease human suffering in Yemen.

The conference ‘Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen... Challenges and Prospects for Humanitarian Response’ ended with recommendations on aspects including coordination protection and providing food shelter health water public health facilities and education to the Yemeni people.

At least 90 regional and international humanitarian organisations and over 150 experts and specialists from relief and humanitarian fields took part in the event organised by Qatar Charity (QC).

The conference sought to unite the visions of partners about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen exchange information promote follow-up mechanisms for determining needs and distribution of aid according to geographic areas and develop action plans and initiatives between partners.

Sessions and workshops focused on assessment of the humanitarian situation in Yemen identification of needs in multiple humanitarian sectors such as education health water and sanitation livelihood economic empowerment shelter food and protection.

A high-level meeting was held yesterday to review the outcomes launch initiatives partnerships alliances and coordinate between different actors.

Discussions included UN Humanitarian Coordination Office’s plan for humanitarian response this year the Yemen Supreme Relief Committee’s humanitarian response plan for 2016 King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid’s plan and QC’s multi-sector rapid assessment plan.

Delegates highlighted the event’s success to shed light on the humanitarian crisis determine coordination evaluation and follow-up mechanisms of relief efforts and launch initiatives for humanitarian intervention.

Yemeni Minister for Local Administration and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Relief Abdalrguib Fath hailed Qatar’s efforts being made by Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the government and people to support Yemen and stand by the Yemeni people in such difficult circumstances.

In his closing address Fath described the conference’s aims as humanitarian ‘par excellence’ and committed to neutrality transparency and responsibility to support about 27 million Yemenis suffering due to a real disaster.

He said about 21 million Yemenis accounting for 82 percent of the population need humanitarian aid of various kinds including 14 million people needing healthcare.

About 2800000 Yemeni people are displaced in provinces and more than three million children are out of school he said adding educational institutions have been destroyed.

The disaster requires an organised and coordinated action to alleviate negative effects suggested by the conference’s outputs he said stressing that Yemen’s Higher Committee for Relief’s Commitment to international standards in relief efforts is based on neutrality accountability and transparency.

The Yemeni government also praised Qatar’s stances to support Yemen on political and relief fronts and efforts to enhance Yemen’s unity security and stability.

Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told QNA on the sidelines of the conference that his government appreciates Qatar’s honourable stances on the political development relief and humanitarian aspects.

“Qatar in all the ordeals Yemen has been through has always stood beside the human beings and beside Yemen all of Yemen.”

He said hosting the conference shows the keenness of Qatar and all other GCC states to support Yemen’s stability and treat its security as part and parcel of the region’s security and stability.

On the Yemeni government’s role in helping implement the initiatives announced during the conference Badi said the government represented by the Supreme Committee for Relief is in touch with organisations to help in the process.

“The conference is a result of cooperation between the committee and regional and international charity and humanitarian associations and organisations particularly Qatar Charity whose humanitarian efforts we hugely appreciate” Badi added.

The Peninsula