Qatar Development Bank launched Thursday “Qatar Upholding Education for Syrians’ Trust QUEST” initiative on the sidelines of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

HE Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi announced the inauguration of QUEST initiative during a ceremony held on the occasion in the presence of high-ranking officials of UN organizations, ministers, NGO officials and civil society organizations.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs explained that the initiative aims mainly to ensure that children and young people who have suffered the outcome of the Syrian crisis, are able to get the necessary education and skills that enable them to move to formal education and find good jobs in the future to be active members of their community.

For his part, Director-General of Qatar Development Bank Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari underlined that investment in the education sector is the first way in the return of normal life to Syria, and the cornerstone of its future and reconstruction.

He noted that the five-year initiative seeks to provide education and training to nearly 400 thousand Syrian refugees within Syria and in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

The total amount of the initiative exceeds USD 100 million. It was launched in line with the framework of the “No Lost Generation Initiative”, Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP).

Al Kuwari noted that the main objective of Qatar Development Bank is to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development, in collaboration with all partners and friends around the world, notably the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Qatar Upholding Education for Syrians’ Trust (QUEST) reflects Qatar’s keenness to continue supporting the Syrian refugees and promoting their rights. In addition to Qatar Fund for Development, a number of Qatari charitable and humanitarian organizations are taking part in the initiative, such as the Education Above All initiative, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF), Qatar Charity, Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), and Silatech.

Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com