DOHA: The 5th edition of the Gulf Voluntary Work Forum for the Red Crescent Societies and Associations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries began in Dohaon Wednesday.
The two-day event is hosted by the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) under the theme of 'Whoever revives it.'
In his opening remarks before the forum, Secretary-General of QRCS, Faisal Mohammed Al Emadi, lauded the incredible humanitarian and volunteer work of the Red Crescent associations and societies in the GCC countries, indicating that the forum is considered an invaluable opportunity to share views and experiences to advance the Gulf voluntary work.
He highlighted that the forum was launched for the first time based on the State of Qatar's suggestion to be officially adopted at the meeting of Their Excellencies the presidents of the Red Crescent associations and societies in the GCC countries in 2017, noting that the theme of the forum has been selected to acknowledge the importance of volunteer efforts and their role in instilling hope, nurturing communities, and making a difference in them.
Al Emadi pointed out that the objective of this event is to promote the volunteer culture among the Gulf youth and promote their sense of responsibility and interaction with others, in addition to highlighting models of young trailblazing initiatives in volunteering, sharing expertise, and volunteer work experiences among the GCC states.
For his part, representative of the General Secretariat of the GCC Ahmed Al Qurainees said the forum is an embodiment of the meaning of the Gulf cooperation in the humanitarian and volunteer area, affirming that stemming from the priority given by the Red Crescent societies and associations in the GCC states to their volunteers, those volunteers will be accorded with the volunteer work award of the red crescent in the GCC countries on the margins of this forum, in recognition of their contributions and to catalyze them in the field of volunteer work for the service and advancement of the GCC countries.
In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Assistant Secretary-General of the Volunteering and Local Development Sector at QRCS, Hussein Aman Al Ali, emphasized that the forum is significant, in terms of sharing productive expertise in the humanitarian, development, and volunteer work among red crescent societies and associations in the GCC states, along with the best practices utilized in this field which would strengthen the Gulf humanitarian and volunteer operation.
Regarding the QRCSs best and salient practices over the last year, Al Ali highlighted that those practices included the participation of QRCS's volunteers in AFC Asian Cup 2023, which was hosted by Doha from Jan. 12 until Feb. 10, 2024, emphasizing that those volunteers received the approbation of all during this tournament for their extraordinary volunteer works that had an impactful outcome for the success of the tournament.
Al Ali highlighted that QRCS has 131,000 volunteers who stand ready to engage in all events hosted by the State of Qatar.
Being held for the second year consecutively, the forum will wind up tomorrow Thursday coinciding with the International Volunteer Day which is annually observed on December 5 each year after it was endorsed by the United Nations in 1985.
QRCS marks this occasion alongside its peer national societies worldwide, stemming from its keenness to promote the value of volunteering in society, in addition to investing in youth and individual capabilities to serve the homeland and humanity.
Alongside this event, an exhibition was inaugurated that showcased the projects carried out by the Volunteering and Local Development Sector at QRCS, along with volunteer experiences of red crescent associations and societies in the GCC states, and the papers presented by them. Moreover, the training experiences of the participating entities will be discussed on the second and final day on Thursday.
