Media Center

Doha / Information Office / July 21  

Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilization (QCAC) organized a conference, via video conference entitled "the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the situation of migrants and displaced persons".

The conference started with a speech by HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairman of Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, in which he welcomed the participants, pointing out that this year witnessed a large movement of migration and displacement, either due to economic motives to obtain employment opportunities or because of wars and armed conflicts in various parts of the world, especially from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, and this movement has become the largest migrations movements to European countries and the United States of America.

His Excellency explained that the number of migrants around the world reached about 270 million people in 2019, making up about 3.5 percent of the world's population, according to the World Migration Report, and there are about 41.3 million displaced people who had to flee their homes at the end of 2018, a record number since the International Organization for Migration began monitoring the movement of displacement in 1998.

His Excellency pointed out that the issue of migration represents one of the four most important areas in which the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Secretariat is interested in, considering that migration plays an important and vital role in defining civilizations, achieving rapprochement between peoples, and achieving positive coexistence between different ethnic, religious and cultural groups.

His Excellency added that participants are discussing today in this conference the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the situation of migrants and displaced people, as this crisis has unprecedented implications in human history, because it is a complex multi-dimensional crisis, on the economic, social, political and security levels, and there is no doubt that it has had a great impact on the global economy, migrants and marginalized groups due to weak protection systems and their social rights.

The Director of the Program for Diplomatic Studies and International Cooperation at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Dr. Marwan Kabalan delivered a lecture in which he reviewed the role of pandemics in human history and their impact on political and economic transformations and on human lives.

Dr. Kabalan explained the impact of the Spanish flu pandemic that spread during the period 1918-1920, and that one of its most important repercussions was the emergence of an international system completely different from what was prevalent before the first global war.

Dr. Kabalan stressed the need to prepare arrangements that require international agreement by all parties to reduce the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in north Syria, which is inhabited by 3.5 million people.

He stressed the need to address the causes leading to the movement of migration and displacement, the cause of which is due to political systems that need radical reforms to secure stability for citizens.

Dr. Abdul Qadir Latrash, an expert on international migration who works as an expert in the Permanent Population Committee in the State of Qatar, started his speech by thanking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the QCAC for the interest in the issue of immigrants and displaced persons, pointing out that the countries of the world have paid attention to the issue of immigration and migrants and put in place approaches in this field since the sixties of the last century.

He explained that the Global Compact for Migration, issued in Marrakesh in 2018 and signed by the State of Qatar, had included many provisions that protect migrants and displaced people during periods of crisis, noting that the measures that many countries of the world have taken include everyone, both in the area of available opportunities for distance education or receiving medical treatment. He added that the State of Qatar has taken appropriate health measures for infected people, whether citizens or residents without any discrimination.

He talked about the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on job opportunities in the Arab region, where he pointed out that 3.5 million people lost their job opportunities due to the pandemic and the number is expected to rise to a higher number by the end of 2020.

Also, he pointed to the low level of assistance provided to the displaced and migrants from donor countries due to the economic conditions that affected their economic performance, as oil revenues have decreased due to the pandemic, as a result of the low demand due to the great economic contraction resulting from the decline in various activities, especially industry, tourism, and transportation.

Dr. Hamid Al Hashemi, a professor of sociology at the International University in London, talked about the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis, which included all aspects of life in all countries of the world without exception.

He noted that the effects included legal, social, health, economic and psychological aspects. The legal aspects included the suspend refugee applications as a result of the closure of the work of the institutions concerned with immigration affairs, the health aspects were exemplified in the lack of cadres that provide health services to immigrants and displaced people, the psychological repercussions were outlined in increasing anxiety, isolation, depression and fear for the future, the social repercussions were embodied in increasing cases of homelessness and social divergence, and the economic repercussions were showcased in limited opportunities due to the low volume of economic activity, which led to high unemployment rates, he explained.

He added that the economic and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the size of government and charitable aid, as budgets for the care of migrants and displaced people decreased so services and assistance provided to them, including health services, decreased.

After delivering the presentations, QCAC members made interventions, in which they talked about the difficulties facing some non-governmental organizations, such as the Red Crescent, in reaching the displaced and migrants, especially in Syria and Yemen.

Participants also referred to the need to unify ranks and mobilize energies for all concerned parties with the Alliance of Civilizations to raise the level of dealing with this pandemic in this circumstance that the human community is going through.

They stressed the necessity of the role played by the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization to reduce the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic to migrants and displaced persons.

The efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar to reduce the repercussions of the Coronavirus crisis on migrant workers in the country were reviewed, clarifying the precautionary measures to secure workers and employers, and praising the support and provision of financial and economic incentives amounting to QR 75 billion to the private sector.

Awareness brochures for workers on how to maintain health were distributed and a conscious campaign has also been implemented, which includes field visits to workplaces and workers' housing.

QCAC members pointed out the cooperation with diplomatic missions in the country to exchange information to support expatriate workers and ensure their voluntary return, and the continued provision of food and housing in cooperation with Qatar Charity.

The participants in the conference unanimously agreed on the need to draw lessons from facing this pandemic to prepare for facing such crises in the future and stressed the need to enhance human solidarity to face the challenges of the pandemic and its negative effects, coordination and cooperation with various international organizations and bodies, governments and civil society to reduce negative repercussions of this pandemic which has various aspects.