Amir's UN General Assembly address to prominent local, Arab and global issues

HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Emphasizing Qatar's active presence in high-level international forums, its contribution to the discussion of international issues and finding solutions to them, and its full support for the United Nations, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will deliver later on Tuesday a comprehensive speech at the High Level General Debate of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly.

HH the Amir's speech is expected to address the constants of Qatar policy and the State's position on most prominent local, Arab and international issues and files. Since HH the Amir assumed power in the country on June 25, 2013, His Highness has been keen to attend the annual sessions of the General Assembly, to confirm Qatar's commitment to its international duties and convey a bright representation of the State of Qatar and its people and its civilized and humanitarian role towards various global issues and challenges.

The content of HH the Amir's speeches at the UN always stressed that Qatar will remain steadfast in its values and will continue its humanitarian roles and mediation efforts to find just solutions in conflict areas. Maintaining regional and international peace and security is a priority in the State of Qatars foreign policy, which is based on the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international legitimacy that call for constructive cooperation between states, mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, good neighborliness, the promotion of peaceful coexistence and the adoption of peaceful means to settle disputes.

The speeches of HH the Amir also showed that the State of Qatar considers contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflicts one of its priorities, including presenting perceptions of collective security, as there is no security, stability, development or a decent human life in the light of conflicts.

The speeches of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the UN also provided insightful strategic visions and effective humanitarian initiatives, while highlighting at the same time Qatar's commitment to peace, equity, global harmony and economic growth, in addition to promoting the language of dialogue, discussion and diplomacy to end wars and crises around the world.

In his speech before the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of Qatar's accession to the United Nations on Sept. 21, 1971, HH the Amir affirmed that "during the past five decades, the relationship between Qatar and the international organization has been characterized by close cooperation and the establishment of exemplary partnerships in various fields. Qatar's bet on international institutions and multilateral cooperation is a strategic one." HH the Amir added, "we are pleased that Doha has become a hub of international multilateral action in our region, which is in dire need of the work and efforts of the United Nations agencies and international institutions, as their offices in Doha have started working." During his participation in the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, HH the Amir addressed the meeting held in New York on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, affirming that "the founding of the United Nations has represented a great hope for mankind in the aftermath of the disasters of the Second World War...the United Nations has made a great stride in achieving the goals agreed upon by the international community, and has been able over the past decades to make many contributions for the advancement of humanity, saving millions of people and changing their lives for the better, through its various institutions and organizations, which are no longer conceivable to imagine our contemporary world without them. But it is still falling short of finding the necessary mechanisms to impose its principles on its members while the right of might still outweighs the might of right in different regions of the world and in different areas of our life." To address this shortcoming, HH the Amir stressed the importance of achieving comprehensive reform, especially the issue of representation in the UN Security Council, the mechanisms for implementing its decisions, avoiding double standards in implementation, and reviewing the internal system that attaches issues of common security to the position of any country among the five major countries.

In the speech of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, HH the Amir said that "the State of Qatar has recently announced the support of the core resources of the United Nations with the allocation of 500 million dollars to be added to the support that Qatar has already provided, thus, Qatar is now considered as one of the biggest partners supporting the United Nations in various fields."

In his speech during the 71th Session of the UN General Assembly, HH the Amir stated that "our developmental and relief contribution has reached out to more than 100 countries around the world... Qatar supports over ten million children around the world in addition to promoting the potentiality of 1.2 million Arab youth to empower them to be active and productive in their communities. In the last five years, since 2011, the value of assistance provided by the State of Qatar has increased threefold to reach QR13 billion Qatari Riyals."

During the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, HH the Amir announced that "Qatar will continue to support initiatives in developing countries, and to provide aid in disaster areas. Over the last five years, we have provided governmental humanitarian aid worth about two billion and two hundred million US dollars and non-governmental aid of about three hundred ninety million dollars."

The Palestinian cause enjoyed an prominent position in the speeches of HH the Amir at the UN, as HH the Amir always emphasized the just nature of the Palestine cause and the right of its people to freedom, independence and their independent state, criticizing the inability of the international community and its failure to take any effective steps in the face of Israeli intransigence and the continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, in addition to the stifling siege on the Gaza Strip, the continuous expansion of settlement policy, and the imposition of a fait accompli.

In all his speeches at the UN, HH the Amir called on "international community –especially the Security Council –to assume its legal responsibilities to obligate Israel to lift the siege on Gaza Strip, put the peace process back on track through credible negotiations based on the international resolutions and not on force, to address all final status issues, ending occupation within specified timeframe and establishing an independent Palestinian state within 1967- borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to end the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories."

HH the Amir stressed that "Israel must realize that the security of its people will only be achieved through peace, and that demise will be the fate of occupation," adding that "in the context of our endeavor to prepare the appropriate conditions to reach peace and to respond to the economic and humanitarian difficulties facing our brothers in Palestine, we, in coordination with our international partners, have continued providing humanitarian and developmental aid to cater for urgent and long-term needs in the besieged Gaza Strip, in addition to increasing our contributions to UNRWA."

Regarding the Syrian crises which is going on for more than a decade without a solution, HH the Amir stressed that the "international community must redouble its efforts to put an end to this crisis through a peaceful solution in accordance with the Geneva-communique -1, the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254 with all its elements, and to maintain the national unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Syria." HH the Amir said that the State of Qatar will continue, with the international community, to support efforts to realize justice and hold accountable the perpetrators of atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria.

HH the Amir said, "in the humanitarian field, we will continue to provide all forms of support and assistance to the brotherly Syrian people in areas of displacement and refuge till the end of this crisis."

Regarding Yemen, HH the Amir affirmed that the State of Qatar's keenness on Yemen's unity and territorial integrity, stating "as to the brotherly Yemen, we emphasize our concern about the unity of Yemen and its territorial integrity, its sovereignty as well as the necessity to complete the political process in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and in particular resolution 2216."

On the Libyan issue, HH the Amir said that "the positive developments that Libya had witnessed during the past year give rise to cautious optimism. The ceasefire and convening the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, and the election of representatives of the interim executive authority and winning a vote of confidence of the House of Representatives by the National Unity Interim Government, are all positive developments. We call on all Libyan parties to maintain these gains and to ensure the full implementation of what has been agreed upon on the political, economic and security tracks, and the successful holding of elections and working to achieve a comprehensive reconciliation."

On the Afghan issue, HH the Amir noted that "the State of Qatar’s mediation efforts have culminated in signing a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban movement, in Doha, on February 29, 2020," adding that "the American decision to withdraw from Afghanistan following negotiations with the Taliban constituted an extremely critical turning point for this country. The responsibility lies first on the Afghan people with all its factions and second on the international community, to work systematically and persistently to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and pave the way for stability in this country that has long suffered from the ravages of war."

Combating terrorism is among the priorities of the State of Qatar's policy at the national, regional and international levels. Therefore, HH the Amir addressed this issue more than once in his speeches before the international organization. HH the Amir stated that "terrorism remains one of the most prominent challenges facing the world as it poses a real threat to international peace and security, and impedes achieving sustainable development for peoples. We in the State of Qatar spare no effort to actively participate in international and regional efforts to address this phenomenon and tackle its roots, especially by supporting education for millions of children, youth and women and creating job opportunities for young men."

"The elimination of terrorism requires a comprehensive approach that includes tackling its political, economic and social roots, along with the security and military action," HH the Amir said, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between terrorism and resistance to occupation.

In this context, the State of Qatar, as stated in the speeches of HH the Amir, considers the education of young people and their comprehensive engagement the first line of defense for the collective security system and one of the factors in combating terrorism and building peace and stability. For this reason, it is supporting education for millions of children, youth and women and creating job opportunities for young men in cooperation with the United Nations. It also implemented projects to enhance employment opportunities for youth through capacity building and launching programs to prevent violent extremism.

With regard to climate change, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said, "the State of Qatar has placed climate change at the forefront of its priorities, and it continues to take the necessary measures to develop climate change-related technologies and clean energy."

HH the Amir delivered a speech at the Climate Action Summit held on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, during which His Highness stressed that "this serious phenomenon makes it incumbent upon the international community to cooperate and double efforts to confront it and reduce its repercussions...All states must fulfill their responsibilities and honor their commitments which international agreements have established to this effect."

HH the Amir said that "the State of Qatar has assumed its responsibility as an active partner in the international community to confront the climate change phenomenon. In 2012, it hosted the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Doha Carbon and Energy Forum. The State of Qatar has also spared no effort to ensure the success of negotiations of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015."

HH the Amir explained that "at the national level, the State of Qatar - in the light of its National Vision 2030 - has taken many measures to develop technologies taking into consideration climate change and adoption of clean energy, through the optimal use of water in order to reduce the loss of desalinated water, encouragement of recycling and reuse of water, improving air quality, promoting the efficiency of using gas and energy, waste recycling and increasing green spaces."

His Highness pointed out "we, as hosting country of FIFA World Cup 2022, are committed to organizing an environment-friendly tournament and the first 'carbon neutral' tournament through the use of solar-powered stadiums and the use of cooling and lighting technology that is water and energy-saving."

Within the framework of the State of Qatar's keenness to assume its role as an active partner with the international community, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani announced Qatar's contribution of US $ 100 million for the support of small developing island states and the least developed states to deal with the climate change, natural hazards, environmental challenges and to build the capacity to counter their destructive effects.

During the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, HH the Amir addressed the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left behind millions of victims and countless humanitarian, social and economic crises. His Highness said, "this difficult test, which humanity is continuing to face, has revealed the flaws and vulnerabilities in our collective security system, meanwhile it has inspired us with many lessons, namely, the importance of balancing the concern for people's health and maintaining the economic cycle that secures at the same time their livelihoods, as well as the importance of integration between the indispensable role of the State within its borders, on the one hand, and its role in confronting cross-border issues and joint commitments to confront challenges, crises and disasters, on the other hand."

Based on its partnership with the international community to confront global crises, HH the Amir affirmed that the State of Qatar did not hesitate to provide support to the relevant international institutions and to stand with the countries affected by the pandemic, noting that the State of Qatar has provided aid to more than 60 countries and five international organizations, and participated actively in the international efforts to mobilize resources and potentials to address this pandemic and its repercussion.

QNA