The Sixth Middle East International Dermatology & Aesthetic ‎Medicine Conference & Exhibition “MEIDAM”, which concluded its activities last Sunday at ‎the Events Centre - Dubai Festival City, signed a partnership agreement with the ‎United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the aim of assisting ‎UNHCR in providing health care to thousands of refugees in a number of from Arab ‎countries.‎

After signing the agreement with Mr. Houssam Chahin, Chief of PSP MENA at UNHCR, ‎the UN Refugee Agency in the Middle East, Dr. Khaled Al Nuaimi the President of ‎MEIDAM conference said, "An original part of the conference's income will be allocated ‎to support the Commission in its humanitarian programs in the Middle East as part of ‎the giving initiative launched by the conference since its inception and to encourage ‎and consolidate the culture of giving in the region."‎

Dr. Khaled Al Nuaimi added, "The amount that will be allocated to UNHCR is a ‎contribution aimed at providing health care to 36,000 refugees in Jordan, Egypt, ‎Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, emphasizing that one of the most important objectives of ‎the MEIDAM conference is to consolidate the principle of culture of giving, that was ‎launched by the conference in its first session to encourage others to adopt this ‎approach." This is based on extending a hand to international organizations that deal ‎with refugee affairs to ease the burdens placed on them and speed up and facilitate ‎their access to health services.‎

Mr. Houssam Chahin extended his deepest thanks and gratitude to the MEIDAM ‎conference for this humanitarian partnership with the Commission, and for its keenness ‎to shed light on the urgent humanitarian issues that we are concerned with.‎

Today, he said, 82.4 million people around the world have been forced to flee their ‎homes, the highest number the UNHCR has ever seen since its inception. Two-thirds of ‎the forcibly displaced people come from only five countries: Syria, Venezuela, ‎Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. They live with daily challenges and harsh ‎living conditions, 42% of whom are children.‎

He added that the year 2020 had many challenges and difficulties imposed by the ‎pandemic in various fields and levels without exception, and its impact on refugees and ‎displaced people was huge, as the epidemic destroyed job opportunities and savings, ‎and caused the spread of hunger and forced many refugee children to leave school - ‎perhaps permanently.‎

There was an urgent need to find quick solutions and develop new programs to reduce ‎the consequences of the social and economic turmoil imposed by the pandemic, and to ‎provide what is necessary for the affected communities. So UNHCR and its partners, ‎‎(thanks to humanitarian partnerships), were fully prepared to provide the necessary ‎support by increasing the absorptive capacity of hospitals, health services centers and ‎intensive care wards. Supporting national plans to equip isolation centers and raise ‎awareness about the dangers of the epidemic and means of prevention, in partnership ‎with the World Health Organization. In addition to providing emergency services and ‎assistance and supporting income-generating activities to the neediest communities, ‎the response was possible thanks to the support and generosity of donors from official ‎bodies, institutions and private sector partnerships and individuals

Houssam Chahin pointed out that we still face great challenges in light of the increasing ‎needs daily, so we rely on our partnerships with the supporting authorities to provide ‎the necessary assistance and emergency services, to face the consequences of the ‎epidemic, harsh living conditions and challenges related to displacement in the region ‎and the world, and I thank once again for a conference of those in charge, the MEIDAM ‎conference on humanitarian partnership to help the most vulnerable group of refugees, ‎displaced persons and families in need, and we appreciate your keenness to shed light ‎on their issues. Let us join hands and cooperate for the sake of humanity.‎