QNA
Nairobi
Advisor at the Emiri Diwan and Qatar's candidate to the post of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al Kuwari, who is the president of the 13th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), handed over the presidency of the conference to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya Amina Mohamed.
Kenya will hold the presidency of the new session of the UNCTAD that will last four years.
Dr Kuwari addressed the opening of the 14th UNCTAD conference in Nairobi on Sunday in the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and representatives of world countries in the UNCTAD.
Kuwari highlighted the success of the 13th session of the UNCTAD conference at the international level during Qatar's presidency, thanks to the support of the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.
He said that, since his election as the president of the conference, he sought to make the organisation more powerful with an aim to integrate developing countries into the global economy.
He noted that the UNCTAD largely contributes to creating a new culture of multilateral economic relations, expressing confidence that the 14th UNCTAD conference will be an opportunity to bring about a new approach to accelerate development mechanism.
Kuwari stressed the need to adhere to the constructive dialogue and work on a global scale in a spirit of genuine cooperation, noting that many challenges can be addressed through consultation and collective action.
He said that there are many necessary steps to achieve the development objectives of Doha that require political decisions at the highest level.
The outgoing UNCTAD president called for building a culture of cooperation rather than a culture of confrontation.
He said that Nairobi meeting is only a part of the global efforts that aim at overcoming the challenges faced by the world.
He noted that initiatives that combine the intellectual potential of UNCTAD with the ability to negotiate such as 'Geneva Dialogue' are of utmost importance in the coming years, stressing Qatar's support to those efforts.
Kuwari use the opportunity to brief the attendees about his nomination to the post of UNESCO Director-General and his programme which calls for a new start for the international organisation.
On her part, Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed thanked Qatar for its efforts in making the 13th session of the UNCTAD a success and expressed appreciation to Dr Kuwari for his activities his presidency.
She underlined Kenya's official support to Qatar's UNESCO candidate in recognition of Qatar's support to the UNESCO.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dr Kuwari met President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kuwari conveyed greetings of HH the Emir to the Kenyan president, congratulating him on Kenya's taking over of the UNCTAD XIV presidency.
On his part, the Kenyan president entrusted Dr Kuwari with his greetings to HH the Emir.
The Kenyan president also expressed his pleasure with the level of the excellent relations between the two countries and thanked Qatar for its presidency of the (UNCTAD XIII) and for its role in the international organisations and the United Nations.
Kenyatta affirmed his country's support for Qatar's Candidate for the office of UNESCO Director-General.
The meeting was attended by Qatar's Ambassador to Kenya HE Ibrahim bin Mohammed al Abdullah.
Dr Kuwari also met the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Kuwari briefed Ban Ki-moon on his nomination for the post of UNESCO Director-General and on his vision for the advancement of the organisation.