Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has been visited by a high-profile delegation from the Embassy of the United States of America in Qatar, to discuss regional humanitarian issues of common interest. The delegation comprised William Grant, Chargé d'Affaires, Colin Donovan, Political-Economic Officer, and Rana Shayya, Political Specialist. They were received by Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Maliki, Chief Executive Director of QRCS, Abdullah Hamed Al-Mulla, Director of Communication, Mona Fadhel Al-Sulaiti, Head of Local Development, and Naglaa Al-Haj, Head of Rehabilitation and International Development. The guests were given an overview of QRCS’s foreign operations, as well as disaster response procedures, from emergency intervention to early recovery, and then to long-term development. “We work together with our counterpart National Society in the host country. We hire local volunteers, and sometimes, we send relief delegations to supervise the relief work on the ground. All the planning is centralized at QRCS’s headquarters in Doha,” said Mr. Al-Maliki. The meeting also reviewed the foreign development mechanisms, planning, and reporting, as per the internationally recognized guidelines. “We prioritize based on humanitarian appeals, needs assessments, and help requests from fellow National Societies”. “We try to make a balance between relief and development, and between Asia and Africa. Our top strategic portfolios are Gaza, Yemen, and Syria. Right now, our priority is Libya, as we are going to sign an agreement with the Libyan Red Crescent and Libya’s Ministry of Health,” he revealed. “Locally,” Ms. Al-Sulaiti pointed out, “We pay great attention to the welfare of expatriate workers. Today, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Qatar's National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking. Under the agreement, we will manage 3 male and 3 female shelter premises.” “We work together with the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) to ensure facilitated work, funding control, and legal compliance,” she stated. “In addition, we have an internal transparency and accountability unit, and we are the first humanitarian organization in the region to have its own governance guide.” According to Mr. Al-Maliki, QRCS carefully selects, diversifies, verifies, and supports partners, particularly in its main scopes of work such as health care, water and sanitation, food aid, and emergency response. “We collaborate with Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Education Above All (EAA) to launch health and educational initiatives,” he remarked. It was agreed to join forces in the management of the worker shelter centers, as both sides were interested in the protection of human trafficking victims. “We will keep coordinating with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs and the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) in the best interest of expatriate workers in Qatar,” he concluded.