English
العربية
Français
Deutsch
Español
русский
हिंदी
اردو
LoginInternational Day of Charity: Qatar Strengthens Humanitarian Presence, Shifts Charitable Work Toward Sustainable Impact
Doha, September 06 (QNA) - The International Day of Charity, observed annually on Sept. 5, has grown in importance as humanitarian needs continue to expand and crises stemming from conflict, natural disasters, climate change, poverty, and inequality proliferate. This makes charitable work a vital component of human solidarity, crisis response, and support for sustainable development pathways.
The UN emphasizes that philanthropy, along with volunteering and charitable acts, plays a vital role in strengthening social bonds and fostering more inclusive and resilient societies. It helps mitigate the effects of humanitarian crises and supports public services in various sectors, including healthcare, education, housing, and child protection.
The UN underlines that this occasion aims to inspire individuals, communities, and institutions to turn the values of solidarity and benevolence into sustained practices that improve people's lives, highlighting that modern philanthropy increasingly seeks to address the root causes of poverty and inequality, while also fostering innovation, funding social initiatives, and supporting local communities when public services alone fall short of meeting needs.
Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows the scale of current humanitarian challenges; by the end of May 2026, more than 252 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of approximately 13 million compared to the figure recorded at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2026.
According to the UN, humanitarian partners planned to assist approximately 143.2 million people by mid-2026, prioritizing the 89 million with the most urgent needs, while about 45.2 million people had received at least one form of assistance or protection by the end of April 2026.
Furthermore, the State of Qatar presents an exemplary model in humanitarian and charitable work through national institutions that implement relief and development programs in various crisis-stricken regions. In this regard, the efforts of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Charity (QC), and the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), alongside partnerships with UN agencies and international and regional organizations, reflect the paramount importance Qatar attaches to humanitarian response. This commitment has been demonstrated through support for humanitarian responses to numerous crises, including those in Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and other areas in need.
Regarding the evaluation of the experience and development of Qatari charitable work on the occasion of the International Day of Charity, Deputy CEO for Programs and Communication at QC Nawaf Al Hammadi, in exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), proudly recalled the position that the State of Qatar has occupied on the map of global humanitarian work, through a well-established approach that made supporting humanity and extending a helping hand to those in need a constant value in its journey.
He added that Qatari charitable work witnessed a remarkable evolution in recent years, moving beyond the traditional aid concept focused on meeting immediate needs to adopt a more comprehensive and sustainable development-oriented approach in human empowerment and strengthening the resilience and recovery capacity of communities to face long-term challenges.
He noted that the State of Qatar, through its active presence in the international humanitarian system and its growing partnerships with the UN and global development and humanitarian institutions, has contributed to establishing a model that combines rapid crisis response with investment in sustainable development, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global humanitarian priorities.
He said that the achievements of Qatari charitable organizations, foremost among them QC, clearly embody this transformation. In 2025, the organization implemented over 14,000 development projects at a cost of approximately QAR 925 million, benefiting more than 11 million people across various sectors, including education, health, water and sanitation, economic empowerment, food security, and social welfare, he added.
On the humanitarian front, QC continued to address crises and disasters, carrying out approximately 391 humanitarian interventions in 2025, benefiting nearly 10 million people at a cost exceeding QAR 645 million, with a particular focus on crisis response in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and other affected regions.
He explained that the number of sponsored individuals under the Rofaqa initiative, part of the organization's social welfare programs, exceeded 224,000 in 2025, at a cost of over QAR 537 million, reflecting ongoing efforts to care for and protect the most vulnerable groups. He pointed out that QC is one of the largest organizations working in social welfare and orphan sponsorship globally through the Rofaqa initiative. By the end of July 2025, the number of sponsored individuals, including orphans, families in need, people with special needs, students, and teachers, had surpassed 225,000, he said.
He also said the number of beneficiaries from humanitarian and development projects and sponsorship programs implemented by QC in 2025 reached approximately 21 million people across nearly 70 countries, while the total value of these development projects, humanitarian interventions, and sponsorships exceeded QAR 2.1 billion for the year.
Al Hammadi further indicated that QC continued to strengthen its humanitarian and development presence in 2026; by the end of July, it had carried out humanitarian and relief interventions in 31 countries at a cost of approximately QAR 236 million, benefiting around 5.8 million people.
During the same period, QC implemented 11,114 development projects across 44 countries worldwide, at approximately QAR 573 million, benefiting over 4.2 million people, noting that these projects spanned eight key sectors, including water and sanitation, education and culture, economic empowerment, health, food security, social care, social housing, and multi-service centers, he said.
He added that the outcomes of the development projects implemented by QC between January and July 2026 reflect an ongoing shift in the trajectory of charitable work, moving from addressing immediate needs to adopting sustainable development programs that empower communities and foster self-reliance.
He explained that the focus is no longer limited to providing direct aid and relief, but has expanded to include development projects that tackle the root causes of poverty and need, build the capacities of individuals and communities, and enhance long-term development opportunities, noting that the impact and positive change in beneficiaries' lives have become a key indicator of project success, alongside the number of beneficiaries served.
The Deputy CEO for Programs and Communication at QC revealed the launch of the organization’s new strategy for 2026–2030, focusing on maximizing impact and sustainability, shifting from broad-scale impact to deeper, more sustainable outcomes, indicating that the organization aims to achieve this by developing specialized interventions that address the root causes of vulnerability and enhance the self-reliance and resilience of individuals and communities during crises, pointing out that approach is supported by results-based planning, clear impact-measurement indicators, a focus on value for money, and alignment of programs and projects with the SDGs and the national priorities of the beneficiary countries.
Deputy CEO for Programs and Communication at QC noted that Qatar Charity adopts a smart specialization approach, which balances geographical expansion with the quality of interventions. This approach ensures that reach is not an end in itself, but rather a means to reach the most vulnerable communities through high-quality programs with measurable and sustainable impact. This approach is supported by an operational model based on data, innovation, digital transformation, local empowerment, and building effective partnerships with governments, international organizations, donors, implementing partners, and beneficiary communities.
He added that the local strategy focuses on strengthening social cohesion, consolidating core values and cultural heritage, encouraging a culture of giving and volunteering, and supporting the most vulnerable groups, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy.
He noted that Qatar Charity aspires to solidify its position by 2030 as a leading international humanitarian and development organization, known for its measurable impact, specialized programs, effective partnerships, financial sustainability, institutional excellence, and operational flexibility. It also seeks to be an international benchmark in translating the Sustainable Development Goals into tangible results on the ground, building its global standing on documented impact, solid trust, and partnerships capable of making a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and communities.
The Deputy CEO for Programs and Communication at QC concluded his remarks to QNA by saying that Qatar Charity works to ensure that donations from benefactors reach those who deserve them and achieve the greatest possible impact, through an integrated system based on advance planning, accurate assessment of needs, and transparency in implementation and follow-up. He explained that the organization relies on field studies and specialized assessments to determine actual humanitarian and development priorities, through its field offices and its international and local partners. It also coordinates with local authorities and international organizations to avoid duplication in the provision of services and to ensure that resources are directed to the most needy groups.
For his part, Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development Sector at Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) Mohammed Bader Al Sada said in remarks to QNA that based on fieldwork in crisis and disaster zones, Qatar Red Crescent Society allocated approximately USD 120,524,597 for humanitarian response in 2025, while the allocated funding for 2026 amounted to approximately USD 25,962,023.
He added that, according to the nature of each crisis and the scale of humanitarian needs, these resources are directed with a focus on essential sectors, primarily health, food, shelter, water, and sanitation. A fixed budget allocation is not adopted among these sectors; rather, priorities are determined based on the level of need and the required response in each affected country or region.
He noted that direct coordination takes place in fieldwork with the National Red Crescent or Red Cross Society in the country experiencing the disaster, as well as with relevant governmental and local authorities, with the aim of identifying urgent needs through field assessments.
Al Sada added that based on the results of these assessments, priorities are set and funding is directed to the most urgent sectors, with the possibility of rearranging priorities according to developments in the humanitarian situation. For example, in cases of floods, earthquakes, and displacement, the priority may be providing emergency shelter, drinking water, and hygiene supplies, along with supporting health services and providing food and basic necessities for those affected. He noted that the humanitarian response is characterized by its flexibility, allowing resources to be directed where the need is greatest, thus achieving the greatest possible impact on the lives and dignity of those affected.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development Sector at QRCS added that QRCS has continued to strengthen its emergency response capacity and expand its interventions in accordance with humanitarian needs on the ground. This comes amidst the increasing scale and diversity of disasters and humanitarian crises in recent years. He noted that the scale of the response is not measured solely by the amount of funding, but also by the speed of reaching those affected, the number of people receiving aid, and QRCS's ability to direct its resources where the need is greatest.
He explained that the number of beneficiaries of QRCS's relief interventions reached 1,237,130 in 2025, while the number of beneficiaries of relief aid in 2026 has reached approximately 400,000 to date.
Al Sada revealed that the budget for relief and development projects implemented by QRCS both locally and internationally over the past ten years (2015-2025) amounted to 5.2 billion Qatari riyals, benefiting more than 94 million people in 63 countries worldwide.
He pointed out that QRCS adopts an integrated approach that links urgent humanitarian response with early recovery, development, and capacity building for affected communities. This is clearly demonstrated in the size and diversity of its portfolio of international projects during the period from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
He added that during that period, 458 projects and interventions were recorded in 2025 and the first half of 2026 progress reports. Actual spending on these projects and interventions reached approximately QAR 525 million, equivalent to about 144 million US dollars, while the total number of direct beneficiaries during that period reached approximately 12 million.
In terms of the nature of the interventions, total spending on relief response amounted to approximately QAR 214.5 million, representing about 41 percent of total spending, compared to QAR 311 million for development, recovery, and community resilience projects, representing about 59 percent of total spending.
Regarding the sectors of work, the project portfolio covers a wide range of humanitarian and development needs, primarily health services, food security, shelter, non-food items, water and sanitation, livelihoods, education, and others.
He noted that this diversity allows for a transition from emergency response to recovery and development within an interconnected intervention chain, rather than treating relief and development as separate tracks.
Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development Sector at Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) Mohammed Bader Al Sada concluded his remarks to QNA by saying that the Qatar Red Crescent, geographically speaking, focuses its primary attention on countries and regions facing protracted humanitarian crises, most notably the Gaza Strip, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen, in addition to extensive humanitarian interventions in Afghanistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Niger, Lebanon, Jordan, Mauritania, and others.
The Gaza Strip stands out as a top priority in the response. In 2025 alone, interventions there amounted to USD 51 million, representing approximately 45.5 percent of the total annual expenditure.
Al Sada emphasized that the Qatar Red Crescent's operational model is not based on separating relief from development, but rather follows an integrated approach that links saving lives and meeting urgent needs with recovery and the provision of essential services, ultimately leading to sustainable development and the rehabilitation of affected communities, empowering them to resume their normal lives. Ultimately, true preparedness lies in investing first and foremost in people, a principle through which Qatari charitable and humanitarian organizations have achieved remarkable successes, thanks to effective partnerships that act before crises occur. (QNA)
chat
Hello! How can we help?
Beta
