Al Thawadi said, “Now, the greatest legacy of this World Cup will be realised through people-to-people diplomacy, will be realised through the bonds created between peoples of vastly different backgrounds, and realising that what unites us is more important than what divides us, celebrating with our differences and sharing our common humanity.”
He emphasised that hosting the World Cup inspired Qatar to make “social progress evidenced in national labour reforms.” It also inspired creativity as a result of Qatar’s commitment to hosting the most sustainable mega event in history and to leaving a human and economic legacy through programmes that provide hope and opportunities for young people in the region and beyond, he added.
He praised Qatar’s global sports development initiative, which is represented by the Generation Amazing Foundation, which “is built around the goals of sustainable development and operates in over 40 countries, and has already met its target of reaching one million beneficiaries ahead of the World Cup.”
“Scoring For The Goals” reflects the vision of the State of Qatar and unites ambition, actual solidarity, and solutions to sustainable development goals, allowing football’s full potential to be realised, His Excellency concluded.
The inauguration ceremony included a short video projection on the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals, and identified relevant topics through compelling images and narration, stressing that the world will meet on November 20 to witness the power of football as a tool to promote peace and development, respect for human rights, and achieve gender equality and empowerment, empower women, girls, youth and address climate change.
Held on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, the event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, President of the Republic of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, and Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed.
The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, and Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, along with several dignitaries and high-profile officials from the UN Secretariat General.
