Geneva, March 23 (QNA) - The State of Qatar affirmed its support for efforts aimed at strengthening humanitarian responses, stressing the importance of consolidating international solidarity in sharing responsibilities amid unprecedented rise in refugees and displaced persons.

The statement was delivered Monday by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Dr. Hend Abdalrahman Al Muftah, during a briefing for UN Member States on the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, with a focus on Lebanon, organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.

Her Excellency stressed that addressing the root causes of conflicts remains the basis for any sustainable response, and that investing in peace, conflict prevention and promoting inclusive dialogue is an urgent necessity to create the conditions for a safe return and to achieve stability.

Her Excellency noted that the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) announced that it would provide urgent humanitarian support to those affected in the "fraternal" Republic of Lebanon, where it provides urgent relief intervention through its partners, Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), with the aim of providing urgent humanitarian assistance to more than 40,000 displaced and affected families, through the distribution of food baskets and basic materials.

Her Excellency voiced the State of Qatar's deep concern regarding the increasing numbers of refugees and displaced persons in the Middle East and North Africa, and the decline in funding levels, which exacerbates humanitarian challenges.

HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva urged the international community to assume its responsibilities and provide sufficient support to refugees and their host communities, in order to ensure an effective and sustainable response. (QNA)