Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) announced yesterday the launch of the 9th Disaster Management Camp (DMC-9), to be held by QRCS from February 21 to March 2, 2023, under the slogan “Effective Preparedness and Better Response”.
Under the patronage of Minister of Public Health, the field training event will be co-organised 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 organisations and DMC-9 sponsors/contributors, notably Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim Al Khulaifi, Director-General of Public Security, as well as Dr. Fawzi Abdullah Amin, Head of Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to GCC countries.
In his opening speech, Secretary-General of QRCS, 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, Turkiye, Syria, and many neighbouring 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 QRCS’s vision of community training and safety, and aligning with the country’s 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”.
Major General Hamad bin Othman Al Duhaimi, member of Civil Defense Council and Director-General of Civil Defense, 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.”
Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, 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 everyone’s solidarity as a shared responsibility. This includes government organizations, NGOs, the private sector, and all nationals and residents.”
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 exhibition on DMC-9 at Katara.