May 10th, 2017 ― Doha: Yesterday, Tuesday 10 May 2017, 6:30 p.m., Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS) held its annual general meeting (AGM) at the Sheikh Ali bin Jabor Al Thani auditorium, QRCS headquarters, after the quorum was present as stipulated by Law No. 12/2004 concerning private societies and professional associations, and in conformity with QRCS bylaw. May 10th, 2017 ― Doha: Yesterday, Tuesday 10 May 2017, 6:30 p.m., Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS) held its annual general meeting (AGM) at the Sheikh Ali bin Jabor Al Thani auditorium, QRCS headquarters, after the quorum was present as stipulated by Law No. 12/2004 concerning private societies and professional associations, and in conformity with QRCS bylaw. Presided over by Dr. Mohamed bin Ghanem Al-Ali Al-Maadheed, QRCS President, the session was attended by QRCS Secretary-General, Ali Hassan Al-Hammadi, AGM and board members, top executives, and senior staff. Representatives of Qatar's Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) and the external auditing firm Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International were also present. The meeting opened with the quorum declared met and the general meeting convened. Dr. Al-Maadheed welcomed the attendance and read out the agenda items for approval. Then, he gave an overview of the growth of QRCS during the period 2010-2016 in terms of spending, revenue, performance, and reach-out. Mr. Al-Hammadi remarked, "During 2016, QRCS made exceptional achievements. We spent QR 171 million for the benefit of almost 7 million people in and outside of Qatar. These figures are a motivation to work harder and improve our mechanisms in light of our strategic vision and humanitarian challenges on the ground. With concerted efforts, QRCS would continue to be a good representative of the State of Qatar in relief and development arenas. This year is expected to be challenging, with humanitarian crises affecting neighboring countries and regions. In response, we are set to make vital major interventions". A short documentary shed light on some successes made locally and abroad, reflecting the diversity of relief, development, empowerment, and rehabilitation projects, as well as QRCS's strong human and technical resources. Rashid Saad Al-Mohannadi, Executive Director, Relief and International Development Division, gave a presentation of the achievements of QRCS's 18 foreign missions during 2016, covering water & sanitation, health care, shelter, and other fields. These projects benefited around 6.9 million in 29 countries, at a total cost of QR 161 million. "In Syria, for instance, QRCS cooperated with several partners to conduct QR 92 million worth of humanitarian projects, serving over 1.6 million people in Syria and neighboring countries," he explained. Dr. Daoud Al-Bast, Executive Director, Medical Affairs, unveiled the renewal of contract with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to operate three Workers' Health Centers in Mesaimeer, Al-Hemailah, and Zekreet. During 2016, these health facilities received 625,000 visitors, while the three Medical Commission Units (Industrial Area, Ras Laffan, and Mesaimeer) received 4,400 cases per month. According to him, QRCS organized 206 training courses and certification in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), continuing medical education (CME), first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and life guard. These courses were attended by 3,453 people, in addition to 102 community health education events. Noura Al-Dosari, Executive Director, Volunteering and Local Development, summarized the statistics of volunteering activities in 2016, which indicated 1,240 volunteers, 6,544 volunteering hours, 30 events, and 21 training courses. Social services reached 53,475 beneficiaries, at a total cost of QR 17,168,000.Empowerment/training and local development programs benefited 52,602 people, at a cost of QR 646,000 and QR 2,400,000, respectively. The external auditor's representative presented the findings of auditing QRCS's 2016 closing financial records. AGM members endorsed the auditing report and discharged the Board of Directors from liability. After reviewing proposals from various auditing firms in Qatar, the meeting selected PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as external auditor for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2017. A new board was elected as follows: Dr. Mohamed bin Ghanem Al-Ali Al-Maadheed, Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Qahtani, Mohamed Al-Yami, Fatima Al-Khulaifi, Saleh Ali Al-Mohannadi, Abdullah Al-Nuaimi, Talal Al-Abdullah, Ali Hassan Al-Hammadi, Khaled Al-Sulaiti, and Omar Hussain Al-Fardan. Rima Al-Muraikhi was appointed as an observer.