HE Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Public-Private Partnerships and Islamic Social Finance Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi affirmed the State of Qatar’s outstanding role in finding political solutions to international crises by employing preventive diplomacy and good offices as a tool to resolve disputes, noting that Qatar is among the most effective countries regionally and internationally.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency , His Excellency added that the State of Qatar has always been keen on participating in the meetings of the UN General Assembly on an annual basis, and pointed out that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is keen on participating continuously in the meetings of the UN General Assembly and delivering a speech before the leaders participating in the meetings, through which he explains the positions of the State of Qatar regarding solutions to the challenges facing humanity.
He pointed out that HH the Amir, in his speech before the UN General Assembly, seeks to direct the institutions of the international community to put forward solutions to the issues of poverty and hunger and to achieve sustainable development. This indicates the interest of HH the Amir and the State of Qatar in the necessity of solidarity and the existence of justice and equality among peoples.
He added that HH the Amir always emphasizes the State of Qatar’s keenness to be a positive and effective party and to have a constructive role at the international level through balanced and multilateral political and economic relations.
On a question about Qatari initiatives in support of world peace, HE Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi said that the State of Qatar has excelled in finding political solutions, and has also excelled in using diplomacy, mediation and good offices in settling these disputes.
We always say that finding radical solutions and addressing the root of the problems through political and diplomatic means is better than dealing with them through humanitarian aid only, he said.
His Excellency noted that Qatar National Vision 2030 is based on maintaining international peace and security, and the best example here is the contributions of the State of Qatar to education. The State of Qatar deems education as one of the most important things because countries cannot advance without education, and we find that civil society organizations are following this approach, led by the Education Above All Foundation, which is one of the initiatives of HH Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Over the past years, more than 5 million beneficiaries have benefited from this Foundation which is moving towards returning 10 million children to education, and this initiative succeeded in establishing the importance of education and the return of students to schools, he added.
Regarding cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Public-Private Partnerships and Islamic Social Finance confirmed to QNA that an agreement was signed last March between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations, represented by the General Secretariat, regarding the administrative arrangements for the establishment of the UN House in the State of Qatar, which would regulate the administrative issues of the UN House so that UN offices could start their work at the headquarters upon opening, pointing out that the headquarters helps in strengthening Qatar’s partnership with the United Nations and specialized agencies at the international multilateral level. It also focuses on the State of Qatar’s cooperation with United Nations organizations and facilitates attracting more offices in the future.
The UN headquarters, he said, houses many offices, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the regional center for training and capacity building in the field of combating cybercrime, the Analysis and Communication Center of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The UN House in Qatar also includes the international hub on behavioral insights to counter terrorism and violent extremism, and the Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism.
His Excellency noted that the presence of these UN offices in Qatar facilitates the implementation of the work and projects proposed by these international organizations and allows understanding of the vision of the state in implementing these projects, in addition to being an opportunity for Qatari youth to engage in the work of United Nations organizations.
In the past, correspondence between the State of Qatar and these organizations took a long time, but the presence of these offices on the territory of the State of Qatar will facilitate communication with United Nations organizations and also facilitate the implementation of humanitarian and other projects and rapid response to any disaster or humanitarian crisis, especially since humanitarian crises need rapid intervention as well as advance preparation for any type of crisis, he said. Thus, the UN House in Qatar has shortened the time in dealing with these crises and strategic cooperation between these offices and various Qatari institutions as well as the Qatari authorities’ understanding of the role of these offices and responding to them as information is available, he said.
Regarding the role of these offices in dealing with the disasters in Morocco and Libya, he pointed out that there is a major role for these offices in dealing with any regional disaster, adding that with any humanitarian crisis, there must be some kind of assessment of the disaster, explaining that Qatar has a rapid rescue team, and it was one of the first four countries to arrive in Morocco. The presence of the UN headquarters, however, contributes to the availability of information as quickly as possible for preparedness and rapid response in dealing with emergencies, he said.
On the partnership between the State of Qatar and the United Nations, Dr. Al Muraikhi stressed that it is a long-term strategic partnership and the best evidence of this is the presence of the “UN House in Qatar,” pointing out that Qatar is a major partner of the United Nations and has a major role in the humanitarian, political and development fields, and this partnership is not only at the governmental level but also at the level of civil society organizations.
He added that he is working to establish a strategic partnership between private sector institutions and UN organizations in the development field, pointing out that there is currently a partnership between the two sides in the humanitarian field at the operational level but not at the strategic level, indicating the necessity of working to ensure that cooperation between the two sides is long-term. He explained that development aid differs from humanitarian aid, as humanitarian aid relates to sudden crises, but development aid is for the long term.
An initiative for Islamic social finance will be launched through the existence of an international mechanism for zakat payers to facilitate the payment of zakat and for it to go to those who deserve it, he stated, adding that this initiative will be through a partnership between the United Nations and the Islamic Development Bank.
Regarding the United Nations organizations’ evaluation of the role of the State of Qatar, he said it is highly appreciated and evidence of this is the prominent presence of the State of Qatar in many of the events held by the United Nations, and the “UN House in Qatar” is a proof of the United Nations’ appreciation for the State of Qatar, and the presence of Qatari figures in the United Nations are a proof of the UN organization’s appreciation for the role of the State of Qatar, pointing out that Qatar previously chaired the United Nations General Assembly and headed ESCWA.
He stated that there is currently a kind of understanding within the United Nations of the importance of the State of Qatar’s approach towards establishing international peace and security, pointing to Qatar’s prominent role in the signing of the Doha Document on Darfur, as well as its role in bringing together the Lebanese parties, and its role in the exchange of prisoners between Djibouti and Eritrea. In the humanitarian role, there are countless initiatives, most notably the rapid response to the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya, he said.
On the other hand, HE Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi confirmed at the end of his interview with QNA that the United Nations has a big gap in financing the 2030 development goals, with only 7 years remaining to achieve these goals, which is a short period, pointing out that what has been achieved in this area is not much, according to what was announced by Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.
In this context, he noted that the Islamic social finance initiative can help accelerate achieving the 2030 development goals, calling for the private sector’s contributions to be not only financial but also at the level of logistical matters and the expertise and skills it possesses.
Source: Qatar News Agency