On the sidelines of the
10th Disaster Management Camp (DMC-10), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) held today morning a certification ceremony to announce the international accreditation of its Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Emergency Response Unit (ERU-MHPSS).
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) standards, this specialized unit is the world's first to receive such an international accreditation.
The event was attended by Eng. Ibrahim bin Hashem Al-Sada, Managing Director – Secretary-General of QRCS, Abdullah Hamed Al-Mulla, board member, Mohamed Bader Al-Sada, Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development and DMC-10 Chairman, and Dr. Petra Khoury, Global Health and Care Director at IFRC.
In his remarks, Eng. Al-Sada, said, “It is another milestone in QRCS's rich history, as well as a new testimony to Qatar's role as a humanitarian leader. ERU-MHPSS is one of our strategic initiatives aimed at building the organization's emergency response capacity, bridging the gap in Arabic-speaking PSS tools and providers, and meeting the growing need for PSS services in crisis and conflict contexts. This could be done by developing specialized professionals, translating and adapting international tools, and creating a rapid response team that can be deployed immediately and effectively to disaster-affected and conflict-affected environments. This reflects a commitment to upholding human dignity and promoting psychological well-being, even in the worst situations".
Dr. Khoury praised the pivotal role played by QRCS: “This is the first accreditation of its kind granted by IFRC. This achievement reflects QRCS's leading position among National Societies and proves its excellence and top-level of preparedness to provide highly efficient MHPSS care. In my upcoming visit to any country, I will cite QRCS as a role model. I hope other National Societies will follow suit in terms of accreditation, to adopt the highest standards".
ERU-MHPSS has a multidisciplinary and multilingual team, guided by an adopted manual of standard operating procedures (SOPs). It provides an entire package of interventions, including psychological first aid, structured PSS activities, safe and child-friendly spaces, and capacity-building for local partners during and following emergencies.
To ensure operational preparedness, QRCS and IFRC co-implemented an intensive program of 30+ training courses for all team members. With ERU-MHPSS, QRCS seeks to make a long-lasting humanitarian impact, by ensuring better and faster response to psychological needs, enhancing the psychosocial resilience of affected communities, and contributing high-quality Qatari and Arab professionals to the Movement's emergency response system.