Doha, September 07 (QNA) - Qatar has stressed the importance of dialogue, mediation and humanitarian diplomacy in ensuring conflict-hit children can access essential aid and services.
Speaking at the opening of a workshop in Doha, HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr Maryam bint Ali Al Misnad said Qatar had made dialogue, mediation and humanitarian diplomacy key pillars of its foreign policy and international efforts.
The workshop brought together policymakers, diplomats, humanitarian leaders, mediators, legal experts, practitioners and academics to discuss practical ways of improving child-sensitive humanitarian access in conflicts and crises.
HE Al Misnad said mediation experiences had shown that keeping channels of communication open, even in the most difficult circumstances, could create important opportunities to protect civilians and streamline humanitarian work.
She said the protection of children could provide common ground for dialogue, noting that even when political positions diverged, ensuring children's access to food, healthcare and education remained a humanitarian responsibility that should not be subject to political calculations.
The minister warned that restrictions on humanitarian operations, obstruction of aid and attacks on humanitarian and medical workers and facilities had become part of wider political and security challenges affecting civilian protection in many contemporary conflicts.
She said children were particularly vulnerable to disruptions in food, water, healthcare, education and protection services, adding that even short delays in accessing such services could have long-term psychological and health consequences.
Al Misnad stressed that children's needs should be an integral part of discussions and negotiations on humanitarian access, rather than an issue addressed only after agreements or humanitarian arrangements had been reached. (QNA)
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