Doha, February 13 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) announced today the launch of the 9th Disaster Management Camp (DMC-9), to be held by QRCS between Feb. 21 an Mar. 2 2023, under the slogan "Effective Preparedness and Better Response".

The field training event will be co-organized by QRCS, UN agencies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Secretariat-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and National Societies in the Middle East and North Africa.

The announcement ceremony at Katara Cultural Village was attended by VIP representatives of government organizations and DMC-9 sponsors/contributors, notably Director-General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim Al Khulaifi as well as Head of Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to GCC countries Dr. Fawzi Abdullah Amin.

In his opening speech, HE Secretary General of QRCS Ambassador Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi said, "This event comes in a critical context that involves good and bad factors. First, there was COVID-19, with its far-reaching impact on the discipline and strategies of epidemiology. Also, Qatar has just hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which brought lessons learned and earned commandment for all the Qatari organizations that contributed to such a historic event. Recently, Turkey, Syria, and many neighboring countries have been struck by a devastating earthquake, which left behind a heavy toll and numerous casualties. Search and rescue teams are still working hard to save the lives of those under the rubble, and international efforts are going on to provide relief for affected people".

He added, "Amid all these exceptional challenges, inspired by QRCSs vision of community training and safety, and aligning with the countrys overall policy of community capacity-building both at the individual and institutional levels, DMC-9 gains considerable importance. It focuses on updating relief personnel and volunteers with the latest knowledge in relation to disaster preparedness and response, especially crowd management and how to deal with emergencies threatening the masses".

HE Ambassador AlHammadi thanked all the sponsors and contributors, including the Ministry of Public Health, Civil Defense Council, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Qatar Media Corporation, Public Works Authority, Qatar Charity, Lekhwiya and Hamad Medical Corporation in addition to a number of Qatari institutions.

Member of Civil Defense Council and Director-General of Civil Defense Major General Hamad bin Othman Al Duhaimi, said, "This field camp, which is constantly organized by QRCS, represents a good example of developing human capacities and skills of dealing with crises and disasters, as well as educating the community about that. It is an important opportunity to exchange experience with international partners. The Civil Defense Council has developed a general disaster management framework, conducted a comprehensive national risk assessment, prepared an infrastructure registry, and developed a national strategy for disaster risk reduction".

HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi said, "The key element for overcoming crises and emergencies is prior preparation, through training programs, awareness campaigns, and public training. This is what DMC offers. Dealing with crises and disasters and reducing their bad impact require everyones solidarity as a shared responsibility. This includes government organizations, NGOs, the private sector, and all nationals and residents".

For his part, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shaheen bin Ali Al Kaabi, stated, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs works with all local partners, such as Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), and Qatari organizations with foreign operations like QRCS and Qatar Charity. International crisis/disaster management efforts can be successful only with cooperation and coordination among all partners, adoption of the mechanisms of humanitarian action, and compliance with administration and international standards".

Head of Journalists Protection at Al-Jazeera Public Liberties and Human Rights Center Yasser Ahmed Ali, remarked, "I would like to thank QRCS for their main role in providing our staff with first-aid training in war zones, which greatly helped provide first aid for reporters there. Al-Jazeera has adopted a safety and security training strategy in hostile and non-hostile environments. A specialized training curriculum was designed to give the trainee the skills they need to plan their missions".

The ceremony concluded with an art show titled "My Message", performed by students of Al-Israa Primary School for Girls, who also presented a thank you certificate to the VIP guests. On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, QRCS holds a two-day public introductory exhibition on DMC-9 at Al-Hikma Courtyard, Katara Cultural Village.

The 10-day DMC-9 aims to create a well-trained team of disaster management specialists, to ensure a better response to the risks associated with large public gatherings, as well as to exchange experience among National Societies and government organizations about response to crowd-related disasters. This year, the camp attracts 300 participants from the Civil Defense, Qatari government organizations, the private sector, MENA National Societies, local and international humanitarian organizations, and QRCS volunteers.

It involves a wide range of theoretical and practical training areas, such as emergency shelter, climate change, logistics and warehouse management, safer access, field assessment and coordination, Sphere standards, media and communication, emergency operations management, restoring family links (RFL), psychological support, public health in emergencies, water and sanitation, field hospitals, Food supply, contingency planning, international humanitarian law.

In addition, there will be daily disaster scenario simulations, such as accidents affecting sports fans, COVID-19 outbreak, mass poisoning, displacement wave, armed militia attacks, hurricanes, floods, and fires.

The Humanitarian Tent will host informative lectures by local and international experts of humanitarian work and international humanitarian law.

(QNA)