Geneva, October 14 (QNA) - The State of Qatar emphasized that, over the past several years, it has strengthened its position as a strategic partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) through its continued support for humanitarian responses to emergencies worldwide.

This support has helped bolster UNHCR-led programs across numerous fields, enabling more than 9.5 million refugees, forcibly displaced people, and members of host communities around the world to access essential assistance, services, and protection.

This was highlighted in remarks delivered by Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Mansouri, during the general debate at the 77th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), convened in Geneva.

The State of Qatar is grateful for the efforts led by UNHCR under the leadership of HE High Commissioner for Refugees Dr. Barham Salih to coordinate international efforts to protect refugees and build a better future for them, Al Mansouri said.

Al Mansouri vigorously condemned attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people or alter the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory. He called on the international community to compel Israel to halt its settlement and expansionist plans.

UNRWA must be supported, and a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees must be found in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, he stressed.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Al Mansouri eloquently underscored the importance of strengthening international protection for refugees and upholding international law.

The State of Qatar has supported the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees and hopes that the 2027 Global Refugee Forum will provide an opportunity to renew commitments and expand partnerships, Al Mansouri pointed out.

  He asserted that Qatar continues to strengthen its cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies and organizations while pursuing humanitarian and development efforts to support refugees and forcibly displaced people worldwide.

This commitment stems from Qatar's belief that international solidarity is a shared responsibility and that protecting human dignity and meeting essential needs must remain at the core of the international response, Al Mansouri underlined.

Al Mansouri clarified that from 2012 through June 2026, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) provided more than USD 544 million in aid to refugees and host countries, with funding distributed across multiple sectors, particularly education, health, relief, and economic growth,

The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation has recently renewed its cooperation with UNHCR to help 200,000 refugee children who are out of school gain access to education by 2028, he recalled.

Al Mansouri noted that the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and UNHCR have completed a QFFD-backed project designed to bolster access to health care and strengthen the referral system for Syrian refugees in Jordan, ensuring that patients receive specialized and emergency health services.

Qatar Charity and UNHCR signed two agreements in June 2026, totaling approximately USD 844,808, to support more than 15,000 of the most vulnerable forcibly displaced people in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa region, Al Mansouri continued.

Al Mansouri further stressed that the State of Qatar has held that preventive diplomacy, mediation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts deserve special emphasis. He affirmed that Qatar continues to leverage its diplomatic efforts to support pathways to peace and reconciliation.

This approach stems from Qatar's belief that ending conflicts and addressing the antecedents that give rise to them offer a viable off-ramp to preventing forced displacement over the long term and creating conditions that enable refugees and displaced people to return voluntarily and rebuild their lives, Al Mansouri remarked.

  For his part, HE Dr. Barham Salih thanked the State of Qatar for its partnership and unyielding support for refugees, particularly in education and in responding to emergency needs while upholding international law.

Dr. Salih hailed ongoing efforts to help refugee children enroll in school, as well as the goal of helping 200,000 refugee children who are out of school gain access to education by 2028, describing it as a noble goal.

He likewise praised the expansion of the partnership beyond the aforementioned initiative, reiterating his gratitude for the State of Qatar's efforts to promote mediation, address the antecedents of conflicts, and maintain peace. (QNA)