Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), organizes a contemporary art exhibition under the theme of "Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now", from 18 November to 6 December 2021. A series of exhibitions will be held in different locations starts at Katara Cultural Village and ends at QRCS headquarters.
In a speech, Secretary-General of QRCS Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammadi said that the purpose of the event is to promote a culture of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and raise public awareness about the current humanitarian issues, such as education during armed conflicts, and climate change. Also, IHL workshops will be held, and a diverse collection of legal and humanitarian publications will be distributed to the visitors of the event.
Every day, humanitarian crises around the world grab the headlines, bringing with them sad feelings. As a National Society, we at QRCS and our Movement partners, ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), work under the umbrella of, and in accordance with, the seven Fundamental Principles deeply rooted in our humanitarian practice: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. "We believe that these principles, in such a changing world, are more important now than ever before, in light of the increasing tragedies, suffering, violations, destruction, crises, and disasters", he added.
For his part, HE Ambassador of Switzerland to the State of Qata Edgar Doeri said: Geneva, the city that gave its name to the Conventions, is the global hub of humanitarian efforts. It is also home to the custodian of IHL, the ICRC.
That is why Switzerland pledged during the 2019 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva to establish the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies. The hub was officially launched on 25 January of this year. Over 127 million children in humanitarian crises and conflict regions cannot go to school. More than 40% of the 80 million displaced people are children. Switzerlands long-term commitment in this field aims to find interdisciplinary solutions for children in emergencies, which tragically are often armed conflicts.
HE Head of Doha Mission of ICRC Cherine Pollin said: It is my pleasure to participate today in this exhibition "Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now", I would like to thank QRCS for linking the exhibition to education during armed conflicts, which will contribute to attracting attention to the need to protect education during armed conflicts or other situations of violence.
Promoting IHL obligations related to the protection of education and promoting respect for IHL obligations that protect the continuity of education have been a key element of ICRCs efforts to influence states behavior. IHL aims at ensuring that education continues, and that students, educational personnel, schools, and other educational facilities are protected in situations of armed conflict, she added.
Head of International Relations and IHL at QRCS Dr. Oussedik gave a brief overview of the seven Fundamental Principles governing international humanitarian action, as well as their implications and applications for humanitarian service providers, particularly in conflict zones.
