Doha, February 3 (QNA) – Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, and with the support of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) launched the 10th Field Disaster Management Training Camp (DMC-10) on Tuesday.

Running until February 11 under the slogan "Effective Preparedness... Better Response", the event brings together 300 trainers and trainees from QRCS, QFFD, Qatari government bodies and NGOs, and National Societies and relief organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Held at the camp's site in the Sealine area (Mesaieed), the opening ceremony was attended by Eng. Ibrahim bin Hashim Al-Sada, Managing Director – Secretary-General of QRCS, Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Fehani, Deputy Director-General for Risk and Compliance Sector at QFFD; Major General Mohamed bin Jassim Al-Sulaiti, Director-General of Public Security, Major General Hamad Othman Al-Duhaimi, Director-General of Civil Defense; Brigadier Ali Mohamed Al-Mohannadi, Head of the National Command Center (NCC), Abdullah Hamed Al-Mulla, board member of QRCS, and many leaders and representatives of government and social organizations in Qatar.

In his opening remarks, Mohamed Bader Al-Sada, Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development at QRCS and Head of DMC-10, said: "We are proud of the broad welcome to DMC-10, with currently more than 300 trainers, trainees, administrators, and organizers," said Al-Sada. "The biggest evidence of this success is the fact that DMC's nine editions graduated hundreds of specialized and qualified personnel, who would later be actively engaged in the response to many humanitarian crises and emergencies with their National Societies and organizations".

He added, "As you can see, DMC plays a crucial direct and indirect role in saving lives, alleviating people's suffering, and fostering a culture of preparedness at all levels — individual, family, institutional, and community. This proves the feasibility of the vision embraced by DMC since day 1 and motivates us to keep working towards it: To promote public awareness about the importance of disaster preparedness and mobilize resources towards a family and society where the culture of preparedness is a general behavior, not mere information".

In his remarks, Al-Fehani affirmed, "QFFD's support of the camp stems from its commitment to strengthening preparedness and effective crisis response, as well as to achieving tangible, on-the-ground impact. The launch of the camp today represents a continuation of the State of Qatar's humanitarian efforts and reinforces its role in supporting countries affected by natural disasters and conflicts".

He added that the ongoing partnership with QRCS served as a successful model of institutional cooperation and contributed to building knowledge for proactive humanitarian action.

The event's agenda features theoretical lectures, practical training, simulation scenarios, and real-world experience to apply the latest humanitarian practices in field assessment and coordination, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, food security, livelihoods, emergency planning, operations rooms, health in emergencies, media and communication in emergencies, fundamental humanitarian standards, humanitarian data analysis, psychosocial support, safer access, restoring family links, and many other key topics and skills that enable relief personnel to effectively carry out field tasks and procedures.

The participants from Qatar represent many organizations, including: QRCS, National Service Academy (NSA), QFFD, Qatar Charity, Civil Defence Council, Qatar Foundation for Social Work, the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) mission, Qatar Press Center, the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) mission, and Sidra Medicine.

Other participants come from 18 countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Mauritania, and Chad.

DMC-10 boasts a slew of partners and contributing organizations, including the Ministry of Interior (MOI), the Ministry of Defense (MOD), the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Lekhwiya, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Jazeera Media Network, Al Araby Television Network, Al Rayyan TV, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and ICRC.(QNA)