Doha, Media & Communication Dept., May 04

The State of Qatar participated in the high-level event on preventing oil spill in Red Sea from the floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) Safer, which was held on Thursday via video conferencing.
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater represented the State of Qatar in the meeting.
In remarks during the event, Her Excellency thanked and appreciated the governments of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in cooperation with the United Nations for inviting the State of Qatar to participate in the important event.
Her Excellency pointed out that the UN leadership has played an important role in preventing the spill of oil from FSO Safer in the Red Sea, and has closely worked with the members states to identify the solutions and bolster the effective prevention strategies, affirming the State of Qatar's commitment to support the Yemeni people.
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the State of Qatar is committed to solving this catastrophic humanitarian and environmental issue, alongside other international partners to mitigate its impacts on the brothers and sisters in Yemen and the Red Sea region.
She added that the impact of this spill could expand further and destroy fishing communities in Yemen; triggering closure of water desalination plants and vital cargo transport ports which could have long-term consequences on the region.
Her Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar has so far contributed to the first fundraising event in May 2022, in addition to contributing to the second fundraising event in September 2022, with a total of USD 3 million to support UN-coordinated rescue operations to prevent a catastrophic spill, adding that while a progress is being made in this field, Qatar hopes to continue working together across borders and sectors to develop novel and innovative solutions to prevent further environmental and humanitarian impact.
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope to continue working together through bringing expertise and resources to the negotiations table to build a safer and more sustainable future for all, expressing her thanks to the attendees in the event for their commitment in handling one of the most pressing environmental issues in the current time.