File picture used for representation only.
The Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) in cooperation with Qatar Fund for Development (QFD) and Qatari humanitarian organisations yesterday launched an initiative to prepare a general strategy for the development of charitable and humanitarian sector in Qatar.
This initiative is based on the objectives for which the Authority was established pursuant to Article 4 of the Emiri Decree No 43 of 2014 and in accordance with Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030.
RACA Director-General Khalid bin Abdul Wahid Al Hammadi said the initiative was aimed at enhancing the Authority's supervisory role by raising the level of self-censorship of charity associations in order to promote a professional environment characterised by transparency and accountability.
The initiative comes in line with the continuous development of the role being played by civil society in Qatar and the capacities of civil society organizations to provide them with the highest standards, principles and international practices and achieve the required synergy between the civil society, the government sector and the private sector, he added.
He stressed that this would increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the role of the civil society in development efforts and humanitarian work at the national level in accordance with QNV 2030 and the National Development Strategy.
The initiative will also boost the efforts of the State of Qatar in the field of international solidarity and charitable sector and enhance its regional and international role in this field, Al Hammadi said.
He pointed out that it would serve Qatar's strategic and development orientations in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, which provides a framework through which national strategies can be developed and implemented.
For his part, QDF Director General, Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari , said that the launch of the initiative is considered as a qualitative leap for the international services provided by the State of Qatar in humanitarian and development fields.
The Fund was a key supporter of this initiative, he said, praising the leading role of national humanitarian organisations in the international arena.
The Qatari institutions praised the initiative as an important addition to the development of humanitarian work in Qatar.
Qatar Charity CEO, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, highlighted RACA's efforts aimed at enhancing the services of national humanitarian and charitable organisations. The expansion of QC's services over the past period was achieved thanks to the support and cooperation with RACA, which aims to support the humanitarian and developmental role played by Qatari charities, he went on saying.
Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS) Executive Director, Youssef Ahmed Al-Hammadi, said the initiative paves the way for sharing capacities and expertise among Qatari humanitarian organisations and enhancing opportunities of cooperation, real partnership and the integration of services and efforts in various parts of the world.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees and General Director of Foundation Sheikh Thani Ibn Abdullah for Humanitarian Services (RAF), Dr Ayed Al Qahtani, said the initiative will contribute to building the capacities of the Qatari organisations and their employees which will positively reflect on the services provided and 'our active international presence as national organizations.'
Qatari charitable organisations are carrying out massive aid projects worth millions of dollars in several countries, including Syria.
