Participants during the workshop.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is hosting a three-day workshop on Membership Coordination in Emergencies (MCiE), held by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Attended by more than 40 emergency response officers, programme managers, and focal points from National Societies across the region, the event is aimed at improving coordination and response efforts during emergencies.
In his opening remarks, Faisal Mohamed Al-Emadi, Secretary-General of QRCS, said, “The world is facing more frequent and complex disasters, and this puts a heavy strain on our resources. We need to respond faster, smarter, and with better coordination. The Membership Coordination in Emergencies guidelines were developed to help National Societies lead and facilitate emergency interventions more effectively.
“This workshop will show how to use these guidelines in the field, helping us all work together more efficiently.”
He added, “Effective coordination is critical to delivering timely, high-quality humanitarian assistance while respecting international humanitarian principles.”
Al-Emadi thanked the IFRC Regional Office – MENA for its ongoing collaboration with QRCS to build the capacity of relief professionals in the Arab world and address the challenges facing National Societies in this region.
He hope the valuable insights and practical skills gained from the experts leading this workshop would be put to use, to improve response on the ground and provide better aid for those in need.
In his remarks via Zoom, Cristhian Cortez, Deputy Regional Director for IFRC - MENA, explained, “Apart from technical knowledge, this workshop serves as a strategic platform to enhance regional preparedness and coordination efforts.
"It will promote a proactive approach to crisis management, by encouraging early coordination planning, pre-crisis coordination incentivisation, and integration of MCiE tools into the existing contingency plans and response frameworks.”
The MCiE workshop is aimed at enriching shared operational understanding of the MCiE approach among the key stakeholders involved in regional emergency preparedness and response.
It also seeks to empower National Societies to implement coordinated and contextualised action during crises, ensuring that the collective Movement strengths are strategically aligned with the priorities of host National Societies.
The workshop adopts primarily interactive and experiential methods, including simulation scenarios to apply MCiE tools, group discussions and storytelling to leverage previous experiences, and systematic data review and analysis sessions to bolster learning at both the individual and institutional levels.
