GENEVA: Qatar has affirmed its special attention to negotiations, mediation and peaceful dispute resolution, as fundamental pillars of its foreign policy.
This came in a statement of Qatar delivered by Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva HE Dr Hind bint Abdulrahman Al Muftah, during the third edition of "Global Negotiation Day," organized in Geneva by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Negotiating Agency (ADN) under Qatar's sponsorship.
The event was a recognition of the outstanding achievements made by the State in the field of negotiations and mediation, which culminated in the United Nations granting in 2021 Qatar, represented in the person of HE Dr Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Combating Terrorism and Mediation in Dispute Settlement, at the time, the "Negotiator of the Year Award 2020" in recognition of the Qatars role and efforts in settling disputes across the world.
Her Excellency indicated that, in light of these challenges, Qatar, as a leading diplomatic force in conflict resolution and settling international disputes, was keen to use preventive diplomacy, mediation, and good offices as effective tools for resolving international crises, which made it, thanks to the direction of its leadership and efforts in this field, one of the most important actors on the international and regional levels.
She pointed out that the role of Qatar in finding solutions to international crises is not limited to negotiations and mediation, saying that Qatar is also keen to sustain the solutions reached through the implementation of development projects to enhance the sustainability of peace, at it recognizes the interconnection between peace and security, development, and human rights.
She explained that negotiations, no matter how difficult or complex they are, always remain the best, least expensive, and most feasible solution to international problems and crises, regardless of their size.
She stressed that the responsibility to address the many challenges facing the world and their effects on humanity and its stability and sustainability remains a shared responsibility and does not fall on the shoulders of a specific country. She also emphasized the extremely important role of negotiators, whose efforts are indispensable for making breakthroughs that enable finding appropriate solutions to these challenges.
Her Excellency pointed to the achievements ofQatar over more than 15 years as a mediator in dozens of regional and international files and issues, which varied between reaching peace, releasing prisoners and detainees, restoring diplomatic relations between countries, or facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.
In this regard, His Excellency the Permanent Representative to the United Nations referred to the tireless efforts currently being made by Qatar with a number of loyal partners to end the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and its success in reaching a humanitarian pause agreement.
In conclusion, Her Excellency stressed the necessity of taking proactive measures and adopting a preventive diplomacy approach to avoid the occurrence of these conflicts, stressing the importance of including, disseminating and strengthening these principles within the framework of the mandates of the United Nations organs, its specialized agencies, committees and field missions, in a way that contributes to achieving the purposes and objectives of the United Nations, most important of which is preserving international peace and security.
For his part, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth, thanked Qatar and its permanent representative in Geneva for sponsoring this event and continuing support for UNITAR, pointing to the valuable role played by the State of Qatar in the field of mediation and good offices.
He added that he had learned from his long experience that the success of mediation is not linked to the strength and size of the state, citing the successful example of the State of Qatar in this field.At the conclusion of the meeting, Her Excellency handed over the "Best Negotiator of the Year" award to Farid Chrabieh, an expert at the International Committee of the Red Cross.