CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

MYCHA forum attracts youth from 11 nations

Published: 12 Nov 2017 - 09:20 am | Last Updated: 20 Nov 2021 - 06:56 am
FROM LEFT: Dr Sultan Barakat, Rashid Khalikov, Dr Ahmed Al Miraikhi, and Dr Hani Al Banna at the Rota’s MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action training yesterday. Pic: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

FROM LEFT: Dr Sultan Barakat, Rashid Khalikov, Dr Ahmed Al Miraikhi, and Dr Hani Al Banna at the Rota’s MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action training yesterday. Pic: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula

A total of 150 youth from 11 countries across the region yesterday gathered at the opening of the MENA Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Action (MYCHA) training, organised by Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a programme of Education Above All foundation, to equip youth with the skills to play a central role in humanitarian action across the region.

The participants include 50 Qatari and expatriate youth and 100 youth from Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Oman. Upon completion of the training, they will return to their home countries where they will be offered support by partner NGOs to implement the humanitarian action projects that they developed during the capacity building initiative.

The three-day training includes training sessions as well as crisis simulation aimed at providing the best possible training environment for the participants.

Opening the event, Tareq Al Ansari, International Cooperation Department Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar underscored the importance of youth in humanitarian action.

“The role of youth in humanitarian action is often overlooked. Through MYCHA, we aim to bring about a shift in mind-sets, so that policymakers are able to realize the value of youth participation in humanitarian action,” said Al Ansari.

He added: “The workshops will equip youth participants with the skills, and provide them with a resourceful network, that will enable to them to go about implementing a community project in their home countries.”

MYCHA is organised by ROTA in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Human Appeal (HA), Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS), Doha Institute, United Nations Envoy on Youth, and United Muslims Relief (UMR).

Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director, ROTA, said: “We are delighted to welcome youth participants to this unprecedented training initiative that aims to mobilise the humanitarian efforts of youth from across the region. MYCHA will equip participants with the skills and knowledge to become effective, agents of change in humanitarian action, and global ambassadors of Qatar.”

A number of workshops on core humanitarian topics were held yesterday. They included Humanitarian Landscape and Stakeholders; Accountability and Quality in Humanitarian Action, delivered by Doha Institute; International Law; Code of Conduct for Humanitarian Response, led by UNHCR, Project Based Advocacy and Influencing led by ROTA; Education in Conflict Affected Communities, led by INEE; Forced Displacement and Host Communities in MENA, hosted by the UNHCR; andAid Workers Safety and Security, Case Studies from MENA Region led by Human Appeal. 

A panel discussion titled ‘The Role of Youth in Transforming Humanitarian Action: How Can Stakeholders Support Youth Capacity?’ was also held at the opening event. Moderated by Dr Sultan Barakat, Director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute, the panel included Dr. Hani Al Banna, president of The Humanitarian Forum); Dr Ahmed Al Miraikhi, UN SG Humanitarian Envoy; and Rashid Khalikov, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Partnerships with the Middle East and Central Asia.

Amel Baccar, a participant from Tunisia said “We have worked together as a group of youngsters to put together a proposal for humanitarian action that we can take back home for future implementation. We look forward to the next three days to work on improving and developing this proposal after attending workshops and lectures and discussing it with the participants.”