.Ministry's Inter.Development Dept. Organizes A Workshop on ''Regional Centre of Excellence''

F Doha, September 08 (QNA) -Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs HE Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Bin Jabor Al Thani has said that the widescale challenges the entire world is now facing as a result of the natural disasters, make it imperative to find sustainable solutions and mechanisms to improve effectiveness and use the military and civil defence fundamentals to counter natural disasters. HE Sheikh Ahmed pointed to in his opening address at a workshop ''On Regional Centre of Excellence'', the Foreign Ministry's International Development Department held at the Sheraton Doha Hotel here Saturday,t the importance of the recommendations adopted by the Doha International Conference on the HOPEFOR initiative which was adopted in November 2011 and the endorsement of the closing recommendations' document and which will be referred to the UN general assembly . '' The issue of promoting military -civil coordination at the international and regional levels needs building up further capacities and energies and the the effective use of military and civil defence assets (MCDA) in natural disaster response through the exchange of expertise and information technology among the concerned experts and specialists at all levels and thorughout the rescue operations'stages'', said HE Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs . It is worth mentioning that the State of Qatar, the Dominican Republic and The Republic of Turkey, have endorsed the HOPEFOR initiative in the context of promoting civil-military coordination at the international and regional levels and the effective use of military and civil defence assets (MCDA) in natural disaster response. The HOPEFOR initiative was initially launched by HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in June 2010 in New York, aiming at improving the use of MCDA in relief operations. Notable calls have also been made for a more effective and needs-based response to natural disasters, most prominently by HE Dr. Leonel Fernandez, President of the Dominican Republic, and HE Abdullah Gul, the President of the Republic of Turkey, at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September 2010. Qatar, the Dominican Republic, and The Republic of Turkey decided to join efforts in presenting the HOPEFOR initiative and initiating a process of reflection on improving the effectiveness and coordination of MCDA for natural disaster response within the context of the United Nations and its membership. For his part, Ambassador Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi, the Director of the Department for International Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reviewed the final document of recommendations of the International Conference for the "HopeFor Initiative'', held during the period November 27-29, 2011 with the participation of 130 experts and representatives from 66 countries and international and regional organizations as well as local bodies from the relief and humanitarian fields. Al Muraikhi touched on the recommendations, which focussed on two main pillars; the strengthening of institutional systems, existing frameworks and areas of cooperation, in addition to capacity building and preparedness. These recommendations also included issues that stress on significance of humanitarian principles, laws and international conventions that serve the civil military coordination, and continuing international dialogue on all the options related to the "HopeFor Initiative'', and the need to tighten regulations and existing institutional frameworks in the field of disaster response at the local, regional and international levels, he said. The 'HopeFor' initiative is an invitation by the State of Qatar for a worldwide reflection on how to improve the effectiveness and coordination of military and civil defense assets in case of natural disaster. (END)