NEW YORK: Qatar participated in the 'Future Summit', which was held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Sunday.
Qatar's delegation to the summit was headed by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HESheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
In Qatar’s statement before the summit, the prime ministersaid that Qatar, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, launched this year the third phase of its national development strategy within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030, keen to build a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy, by benefiting from the applications of digital technology, science and innovation, and enhancing human development, noting that it has achieved remarkable successes on the ground, reflecting the effectiveness of the state’s strategic choices.
He also affirmed Qatar's commitment to international multilateral action, referring in this regard to His Highness the Amir's pledge of $500mn to support the core resources of United Nations agencies for ten years, and Qatar's announcement during the Climate Action Summit in 2019 to allocate $100mn to support small island developing states and least developed countries in the Caribbean, Pacific and Africa regions, and its hosting of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in March 2023, and its pledge of $60mn to implement development programmes in those countries.
He added that Qatar has pledged this year, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, to allocate 20 percent of its Special Drawing Rights holdings, valued at one billion dollars, to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust Fund and the Resilience Support Fund, which will enable the Fund to expand concessional lending to low-income countries and countries vulnerable to climate shocks. He pointed out that inJune, it also launched its Debt Relief Initiative for Education in cooperation with the World Bank.
The prime minister said that Qatar is fully convinced that the 2030 Agenda and achieving its sustainable development goals require more international and national efforts. Therefore, it participated effectively in all stages of the negotiations on the final document of this summit and its annexes, as an extension of its support for the recommendations of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in his report on 'Our Common Plan', and its participation in leading the negotiations on the political declaration of the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development held last year.
He pointed out that the world today faces serious challenges that hinder its economic progress, threaten its social peace, and slow down efforts to achieve sustainable development goals. "Wars, armed conflicts, and the negative effects resulting from climate change pose serious challenges, especially for developing and least developed countries, which requires us to quickly address and overcome these challenges for the sake of the future we seek.”
He stressed the importance of enhancing global governance, including reforming international financing structures, alleviating the debt burden, and bridging the digital divide, stressing the need to enhance efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and social welfare based on protecting human rights and empowering women, in addition to enhancing climate action in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.
He also stressed that "development cannot be achieved without establishing the foundations of peace and stability, so the State of Qatar continues its tireless efforts in mediation to prevent the outbreak of conflicts and resolve them through peaceful means, and has achieved regional and international successes in cooperation with its regional and international allies."
He added: "The State of Qatar is currently engaged in many mediations, including mediation between Hamas and Israel, in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America, to stop the disastrous war on the Gaza Strip. We reiterate our call to the parties to the conflict to reach a ceasefire agreement and release prisoners and detainees. We call on the international community to take a clear position regarding violations of international law and international humanitarian law regarding the repeated attacks on schools, hospitals, relief workers and displaced persons in Gaza."
The prime minister expressed Qatar's pride in hosting the Second World Summit for Social Development, which will be the most prominent global event in 2025 within the series of three summits recommended by 'Our Common Global Plan', expressing Qatar's aspiration to receive participants from all over the world in Doha, and to achieve tangible results that contribute to building a better world.
It is noteworthy that the 'Future Summit', which concludes its work on Monday, is an opportunity to enhance cooperation on key challenges, bridge gaps in global governance, and reaffirm existing commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) and the United Nations Charter.
The summit sessions focus on five main tracks: Sustainable development and financing, peace and security, a digital future for all, youth and future generations, global governance, in addition to human rights, gender equality and the climate crisis.
The summit is scheduled to conclude with the issuance of the Charter for the Future, the Global Digital Charter, and the Declaration of Future Generations, after they are adopted by the participating countries.