The IFRC’s Middle East and North Africa regional office works in support of 17 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the region. Through its country cluster support teams and country offices, it provides coordination, financial and technical support for disaster operations and longer term development programmes throughout the region.
Latest news from Middle East and North Africa
23 March 2019, Iraq Red Crescent volunteers joined the local authority and community to rescue passengers from a sinking ferry on the Tigris river in Iraq’s city of Mosul. Nearly 100 people are reported to have died in the accident. Iraq Red Crescent v …
“My dream is to go back to Cox Bazaar and meet the two years old twins, a boy and a girl called Reema, named after me,” said Reema Al-Merekhi, a volunteer with the Qatar Red Crescent who was deployed in 2017 to Bangladesh to assist displaced communitie …
A team of 146 Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) volunteers has arrived at the remote Rukhban Camp, bringing medicine, food, clothes, hygiene kits and other relief items to more than 40,000 people in desperate need. The 133-truck SARC convoy travelled mor …
By Karina Lapteva, IFRC During winter, IFRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) increase humanitarian response efforts to help children and families to cope with the cold weather in most affected areas. Years of war brought destruction to many areas in …
By Rana Sidani Cassou More than 300 Lebanese Red Cross volunteers and staff have been working round the clock to protect people from the rain and snow of Storm Norma, performing nearly 600 rescue missions – and delivering two beautiful, healthy babies …
- Regional Director: Sayed Hashem
Country cluster support offices
- North Africa (Tunis): Iliana Mourad
- GCC (Dubai): Mohammed Omer Mukhier (acting)
Country offices:
- Iraq (Baghdad): Farid Aiywar
- Iran (Tehran): Davood Pourkhanali
- Jordan (Amman): Muftah Etwilb
- Lebanon Cristhian Cortez Cadoza
- Libya (Tunis): Stefano Cordella
- Palestine (Ramallah): John Entwistle
- Syria (Damascus): Paula Fitzgerald
- Yemen (Sana’a): Indra Adhikari
Recent press releases
Recent documents
Ongoing crises
Syria crisis
The crisis in Syria has already continued for over six years, and humanitarian needs have continued to grow. With an estimated 13.5 million people in need, Syria has become the defining humanitarian emergency of recent times.
Iraq
Responding to the current humanitarian crisis around Mosul, Iraqi Red Crescent Society has mobilized its human and financial resources and prepared food items that would meet the needs of more than one million displaced people.
Yemen
Decades of unrest and conflict in Yemen have escalated in recent years. Since March 2015, over 3 million Yemenis have been forced to flee their homes, and at least 80 per cent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
Migration: North Africa
The ongoing crises in the Middle East and in some parts of Africa have led to unprecedented displacement. National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in MENA are over-burdened as a result of high levels of humanitarian need
Regional support
In the MENA region, the IFRC focuses its efforts on enabling National Societies to better deliver their services to people in need in their countries, and where relevant, to facilitate their partnerships with other National Societies.
Technical assistance and guidance in key areas are provided by the regional team and country/multi-country cluster teams where appropriate. Experts in a broad range of relevant operational and development areas work with National Societies to strengthen their work.