​

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), the Embassy of Switzerland in the State of Qatar, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched today morning the third round of the contemporary art exhibition “Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now".

Focusing on the topic of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Climate Change, this round is held at the Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Student Center and will last until Wednesday 1 December 2021.

The event was attended by Dr. Aisha bint Yousef Al-Mannai, Vice-President of QRCS, Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammadi, Secretary-General of QRCS, Rudolf Wyss, representative of the Swiss Embassy in Qatar, Cherine Pollini, Head of Doha Mission of ICRC, Dr. Emad Al-Din Shahin, Dean of HBKU College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Dr. Fawzi Oussedik, Head of International Relations and IHL at QRCS, and Dr. Mostafa Othman Al-Amin, Professor of Islam and International Affairs at HBKU-CIS.

In his speech, Mr. Al-Hammadi said:

Every day, humanitarian crises around the world grab the headlines, bringing with them sad feelings. As a National Society, we at QRCS and our Movement partners, ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), work under the umbrella of, and in accordance with, the seven Fundamental Principles deeply rooted in our humanitarian practice: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

We believe that these principles, in such a changing world, are more important now than ever before, in light of the increasing tragedies, suffering, violations, destruction, crises, and disasters.

Seeking to emphasize the significance of these principles here and now, the Embassy of Switzerland, the patron of the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, ICRC, the advocate of IHL, and we join hands to promote humanitarianism. With support from our local partners Katara Cultural Village, The Gate Mall, and HBKU, we co-organize a humanitarian exhibition tour in Doha, as of today until 6 December 2021, to promote key IHL principles and common human values.

Towards these noble goals, I officially announce the inauguration of the humanitarian exhibition tour, in recognition of these principles, humanitarian workers, and their diverse impartial and neutral humanitarian efforts. One major value underlying QRCS's work is to have the best interests of humanity everywhere at heart. Today, we try to show this commitment through the imagination and production of creative artists.

I would like to thank everyone who made this exhibition a reality that engages the public in raising awareness about the mission and noble goals of humanitarian action.

Mr. Wyss said:

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all here at HBKU, to jointly inaugurate the third of four launches of the contemporary art exhibition “Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now", with my colleagues and co-organizers of this event, Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammad, Secretary-General of QRCS, Dr. Fawzi Oussedik, Head of International Relations and IHL at QRCS, and Mrs. Chérine Pollini, Head of Mission of ICRC in Qatar. Special thanks go to Qatar Foundation and the management of HBKU for generously hosting this event.

Two years ago, Swiss diplomatic missions around the world planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions on 12 August 1949. As you know, celebrations were cut short due to COVID-19.

The Geneva Conventions represent the core of IHL and were born in Switzerland. They were drafted by states in Geneva, under the auspices of the Swiss Government and the guidance of the then Federal Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Max Petitpierre.

Geneva, the city that gave its name to the Conventions, is the global hub of humanitarian efforts. It is also home to the custodian of IHL, the ICRC, co-founded by the Swiss citizen Henry Dunant in 1863.

Because of this background and my government's neutrality, independence, and humanitarian tradition, raising the issue of “IHL and climate change", as we are doing today, is very important to my government.

The impacts of climate know no geographical boundaries. They affect people around the world and are felt particularly keenly where livelihoods are seriously threatened. At the same time, extreme weather events, droughts, water and food shortages, and rising sea levels are exacerbating numerous conflicts in different regions of the world, thereby threatening global peace, security, and stability.

One of the instruments Switzerland is employing to help defuse potential conflicts is water diplomacy – the Blue Peace Initiative – aimed at ensuring the equitable and sustainable use of water resources.

Switzerland also promotes the use of modern technologies to achieve this objective. Under the 'Tech4Good' banner, Switzerland's international cooperation programmes promote, develop, and support projects that use new technologies worldwide to generate added value for businesses, the environment, and, above all, people.

Swiss expertise in modern technologies thus brings long-term improvements to the lives of millions of people, not only through climate change mitigation, but also in areas such as agricultural technology, health care, disaster resilience, and the construction sector. By laying the foundations for sustainable livelihoods for people in conflict regions, Switzerland is actively contributing to global stability.

This exhibition comes timely. Every day, we receive news headlines about humanitarian crises from around the world. In one way or another, they always affect the life of children. The images associated to these tragedies are often related to great suffering. Naturally, we sometimes feel helpless or overwhelmed by all these impressions. The contemporary art installation “Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now" is a reaction to these feelings.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in collaboration with ICRC and the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, gave carte blanche to 10 Swiss photographers to reflect on and illustrate the Humanitarian Principles – humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Instead of looking at humanitarian crises head-on, the concept of the exhibition allows people to take a step back and pause, to think and to feel. The idea is to provide a space for discussion and debate about the humanitarian sphere and how it is changing.

I invite you all to join me on this journey, discover the diverse stories behind the artworks. Take your time, ponder, rethink, go back, and discuss with the people around you.

The whole exhibition is conducted in Arabic. But do not worry if you are not fluent. One excellent feature of this exhibition is its accessibility. The creators established a digital platform for this exhibition called “Dialogues on Humanity". There, you can not only access the whole exhibition in 11 languages, but also read about a variety of stories, experiences, and impressions from people from all over the world who have experienced the same exhibition. Therefore, do not forget to bring your smartphone along, to scan the QR code on every piece of art.

With this said, I want to thank QRCS for the extensive support brought forward during this 3-week initiative, and all the other organizers for making this exhibition possible.

Mrs. Pollini said:

As Head of ICRC in Qatar, it is my pleasure to participate today in this exhibition “Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now", curated by the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and organized in collaboration with QRCS and the Swiss Embassy.

I would like to thank QRCS for linking the exhibition to “Global Warming and Climate Change", which will contribute to shedding light on that specific topic. I also wish to thank HBKU for hosting this important event in their premises.

Climate change and environment are on today's leaders agenda and are a matter of concern to all of us.

The convergence of climate change and conflict or OSV has grave humanitarian consequences. It worsens food, economic, and water insecurity and health disparities, and limits access to essential services, while weakening the capacity of institutions to provide support. The impact of such overlap can shape human mobility or access to resources on a continental scale.

Climate change can indirectly increase the risk of conflict, OSV, or social unrest by exacerbating factors – such as tensions over the governance of scarce resources, economic risks, and environmental degradation – that can, in a complex interplay, intensify tensions or conflicts. Investment in preventive action, including anticipatory action, can limit the humanitarian consequences of combined climate risks and armed conflict.

Major and urgent political efforts to limit environmental degradation and mitigate climate change are critical to avert the most disastrous consequences on people and their environment. Climate risk can lead to development reversals and systemic breakdown, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected States. They are less able to adapt to climate change, and therefore particularly vulnerable to climate shocks – about 60 percent of the 25 countries considered most vulnerable to climate change and the least able to adapt are experiencing conflict. This will primarily impact the poorest and most vulnerable communities that are forced to adapt and change their ways of life.

Unfortunately, humanitarian organizations alone will not be able to meet the needs resulting from unmitigated climate change and environmental degradation.

We must join forces to pull climate action towards populations enduring conflict: they are among the most vulnerable to climate change and the most neglected by climate action.

In addition to skilling up and teaming up with others – from authorities, the Movement of RCRC Societies, humanitarian and development actors, communities, academia, and the private sector – we need to reinforce our ability to respond to shocks and to reduce people's exposure through preventive measures and anticipatory action and through promoting respect for IHL rules that protect the natural environment. Respecting these obligations limits the risks that communities are exposed to and contributes to making them more resilient.

However, IHL does not address all environmental consequences but does contain rules that, if respected, protect the natural environment, limit environmental degradation, and prevent the deeply interlinked civilian harm that accompanies environmental damage in armed conflict. Reflecting this in military manuals, national policy, and legal frameworks can limit the impact of wars on the natural environment and the people who depend on it to survive. All States are urged to respect the rules of IHL that prevent natural environment's degradation during armed conflict.

In May 2021, the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations was opened for signature.

• The development of the Charter was co-led by ICRC and IFRC, in consultation with the humanitarian sector. It aims to galvanize and steer the humanitarian response to the climate and environment crisis.
• The Charter captures the criticality of both stepping up the response to growing humanitarian needs and helping people adapt to the impacts of the crises and of maximizing the environmental sustainability of humanitarian action. By late August, over 80 organizations had signed the Charter, including large international NGOs (e.g. Save the Children, IRC, or DRC), local NGOs, and National Societies. We are confident it will continue to attract attention and support in the future.

Dr. Shahin stated:

This humanitarian exhibition tour, hosted by CIS in cooperation with QRCS, the Embassy of Switzerland in Doha, and ICRC under the title Humanitarian Principles: Here and Now, involves lectures and workshops on IHL. The exhibition will be open throughout the week.

Under the policies of the university, CIS is open to the Qatari community, in liaison with QRCS in various fields of cooperation. Earlier this year, a memorandum of bilateral cooperation was signed by QRCS and HBKU. QRCS hosted CIS students from the Department of Islam and International Affairs in an introductory meeting on humanitarian organizations.

Senior experts from QRCS are lecturers at CIS under the Humanitarian Action in Muslim Communities Program. There is an ambitious action plan to enhance humanitarian action by linking what is happening on the ground to educational curricula and university research, within Qatar National Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The plan is co-developed by QRCS and CIS. In addition, QRCS generously donated a diverse collection of over 24,000 books to the university's library.

There is no doubt that this exhibition will have many remarkable benefits, enlightening the university's members and the public about the great efforts and recent developments taking place in the field of humanitarian action. This will effectively encourage individuals, donors, and humanitarian workers to continue to support it.

In her remarks, Dr. Al-Mannai hailed the participants' interest in such vital topics. She emphasized the importance of humanitarian work over other fields of work, inspired by the divine and religious teachings.

Dr. Oussedik gave a brief overview of the seven Fundamental Principles governing international humanitarian action, as well as their implications and applications for humanitarian service providers, particularly in conflict zones. Then, the attendance took a tour of the exhibition to watch the works of art.