On World Refugee Day, UNHCR and Qatar Charity expand Strategic Partnership to Support Refugees
On World Refugee Day, UNHCR and Qatar Charity expand Strategic Partnership to Support Refugees
Internally displaced Yemeni children receive UNHCR's core relief items, made possible through the support of Qatar Charity.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Qatar Charity (QC) signed two agreements worth QAR 3,079,324 (approximately US$ 844,808) to support more than 15,000 vulnerable displaced people in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa.
The agreements were signed in Doha by Ahmed Mohsen, UNHCR Representative to the State of Qatar, and Nawaf Abdulla AlHammadi, Deputy CEO for Programmes and Communications at Qatar Charity, and come as part of the Letter of Intent, which was signed in 2024 between UNHCR and Qatar Charity.
Additionally, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), in its capacity as Trustee of the Global Islamic Fund for Refugees (GIFR), announced on 17 June 2026, the signing of a strategic Donor Contribution Agreement with Qatar Charity of US$ 10 million, to fulfil a pledge that was announced at the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva in December 2025. This milestone reinforces QC’s commitment to advancing innovative and sustainable financing solutions for displaced populations.
With this contribution, QC will join the GIFR Steering Committee—co-led by UNHCR and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)—to help guide funding allocations across member countries. This step also builds on strategic discussions held between UNHCR and QC in November 2025 and sets the foundation for expanded future collaboration.
On this occasion, Ahmed Mohsen, UNHCR Representative to the State of Qatar, lauded the partnership with Qatar Charity and said: “As we mark World Refugee Day 2026, this partnership underscores a shared responsibility to support those forced to flee. When people are displaced, we all have a role to play. Protecting refugees helps save lives, strengthens communities, and promotes stability. Together, UNHCR and QC remain committed to building a future where being a refugee is only one chapter—not the whole story—and to keeping the promise of safety alive for the most vulnerable among us”.
For his part, Mr. Nawaf Abdulla AlHammadi, Deputy CEO for Programmes and Communications, stated: “Through Qatar Charity’s contributions, thousands of forcibly displaced individuals will receive essential assistance to meet urgent needs and improve living conditions. This reflects our continued commitment to supporting refugees, displaced populations, and crisis-affected communities worldwide. In this context, we have launched a humanitarian campaign ‘Every Refugee Tent Holds a Story’, which aims to deliver integrated relief and sustainable support to the most vulnerable in several countries.”
UNHCR’s latest Global Trends Report has shown that levels of forced displacement fell during 2025 for the first time in a decade, driven mainly by large-scale returns in some of the world’s largest displacement situations. At the end of 2025, forcibly displaced people included 41.6 million refugees and other people in need of international protection. In addition, there were 58.8 million internally displaced people and almost 9 million asylum-seekers. Despite the reduction in the global displacement total, needs remain high, millions remain in extremely vulnerable situations, and many new displacements took place in 2025.
Lebanon continues to face a rapidly worsening humanitarian and security situation. Displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure have significantly increased humanitarian needs and restricted access to essential services. More than 1.3 million people have been affected by the crisis, including around 1 million individuals registered as displaced within the country. Lebanon also continues to host one of the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, placing additional pressure on already overstretched services and communities.
Qatar Charity (QC) has been a strategic partner of UNHCR since 2012, supporting humanitarian responses to displaced communities globally. Over the past decade, QC has contributed more than USD 60 million to UNHCR programmes across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, assisting over 2.1 million forcibly displaced people.
Khaled Kabbara
UNHCR Spokesperson in the GCC
[email protected]
