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Ministry of Foreign Affairs – State of Qatar
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Foreign Policy

International Cooperation - An Overview

Under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of the State "may Allah protect him", the State of Qatar is adopting an open economy that relies heavily on international trade, the economies of globalization and interdependence. International cooperation plays a pivotal role at the national level in many areas. These include strengthening international cooperation which aims at establishing and strengthening the capabilities of national institutions and modernizing statistical systems to provide indicators to measure progress in implementing national and international development goals, human rights issues, transparency and fighting corruption. It also provides international expertise, technical cooperation, and best practices of ministries and government departments. In addition, international cooperation helps establishing partnerships with international organizations such as the United Nations and international and global bodies. These bodies include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, specialized international organizations, and specialized UN agencies such as the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Population Fund, UNCTAD, the International Labor Organization, and UNESCO. Other regional bodies and committees include ESCWA; the Statistics and Population Divisions of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, the Security Council, and the General Assembly of the United Nations; the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; the Partnership in Statistics in the 21st Century PARIS21; the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries SESRIC; the Arab Planning Institute; and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics. This is in order for these agencies to play a catalytic role in national development.

The State of Qatar's strategy for international cooperation contributes to achieving the three pillars of sustainable development at the national, regional and international levels: social, economic, and environmental, in line with the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar leads the international cooperation policy and its pillars, including the international development policy, where it coordinates links with several local and international governmental and non-governmental bodies and organizations, in line with national development plans.

The Qatari cooperative partnership with all United Nations agencies places the State of Qatar at the forefront of countries that support the rule of law, international charters and norms and preventive diplomacy and refrain from threats of force or interference in internal affairs. In addition, it supports cooperation between countries and equal sovereignty among them, as a main way to achieve security, peace and stability on the regional and international levels.


History of International Cooperation

The State of Qatar derives its driving force from the well-established civilizational and cultural heritage to which it belongs. This is achieved through adopting a policy of moderation and cultural, civilized and religious tolerance towards all. The State of Qatar is proud of its Gulf and Arab affiliation. It is an active member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and regional organizations such as those established to protect human rights and concerned with consolidating economic, political or cultural relations, such as the Group of 77 and China and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. It also acts as a bridge of understanding and cooperation through its diverse representation in those global entities in order to achieve security, peace and development for the peoples of the region.

Since its independence in 1971, the State of Qatar has paid great attention to international cooperation. It has joined the United Nations Organization, the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, with the aim of strengthening its regional role economically, politically and culturally, supporting the dialogue of civilizations, and contributing to the achievement of global peace and security.

Based on the Qatar National Vision 2030 that it is an active and responsible member of the international community that contributes to the establishment of international peace and security through political and economic initiatives and development and humanitarian aid, the State of Qatar has actively contributed to international cooperation in the various development and humanitarian fields.


Priorities for International Cooperation

Qatar's strategy for international cooperation supports the implementation of the goal related to promoting the process of achieving more economic and social development in low-income countries, in line with the global goals of the aforementioned 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also supports global partnership for development to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and promote economic development and environmental sustainability.

Aid is mostly directed to low-income and least developed countries, as well as countries that have been afflicted by natural disasters and conflicts. The State of Qatar pays special attention to the least developed countries in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It is also keen to deliver aid to the afflicted and victims through bilateral and multilateral channels in accordance with best practices and with high professionalism.

Many countries have benefited from Qatari aid that extended to more than 100 countries in various continents of the world. Qatari humanitarian and development assistance includes multiple geographic regions around the world. Hence, the State of Qatar has provided urgent aid in the case of the tsunami disaster in Indonesia, the earthquakes in Pakistan, China and Haiti. Assistance has also been provided to those affected by floods in Pakistan or drought in Somalia, in addition to sheltering and assisting the displaced and groups affected by wars around the world.


Achievements in International Cooperation

The State of Qatar is distinguished in terms of its developed relationship with the international community. It has been able to accomplish many achievements that made it an active and pioneering country in achieving international peace and security, in addition to its role in international development and global partnership. The State of Qatar has contributed to the development of strategic visions for the issues in the international community, including the Middle East Conflict. It believes that peace is indispensable as a settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution. It also contributed to supporting the efforts of peace initiatives in many parts of the world, and exerted many efforts and mediations to settle a number of international disputes and crises. This has become one of the pillars of Qatar's foreign policy, which led to its being a peacemaker state.

The most important achievements of the State of Qatar in the field of international cooperation:

First: Contributing to resolving armed conflicts and enhancing international peace and security. The most important achievements are:

  • Signing The Doha Peace Agreement in Afghanistan between the United States of America and the Taliban in February 2020
  • Contributing personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping forces in many parts of the world, including Lebanon, Eritrea, Bosnia....etc.
  • Settlement of internal crises in some countries such as Eritrea and Lebanon; crises and civil wars in Yemen and Sudan; border disputes in Djibouti and Eritrea; and international wars like the war in Ukraine.
  • Initiatives to solve the problems in some Arab countries, such as in Darfur, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine..., etc.
  • International mediation: the State of Qatar has pursued, in its foreign policy, the approach of dialogue, good offices, mediation, preventive diplomacy, and settlement of disputes and crises by peaceful means, with full impartiality and independence, and in accordance with the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Second: Effectively contributing to achieving global partnership for development and enhancing international development aid with regard to helping developing countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals through:

  • Evacuation of stranded Afghans and foreigners at risk in Afghanistan and providing them with urgent humanitarian aid.
  • Contributing to international efforts to address the Corona pandemic by providing support to countries in need and relevant international organizations.
  • Evacuation and transfer of stranded people from all countries of the world and the United Nations employees to mitigate the impact of the Corona pandemic.
  • Provision of aid and development assistance in various parts of the world, especially in the sectors of health, education, water and sanitation, in addition to emergency humanitarian aid in some countries afflicted with natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
  • The establishment of the Silatech Foundation with a capital of 100 million dollars in order to address the growing unemployment crisis among the young generation in the world, by providing job opportunities for young people, especially women and the disadvantaged. The Foundation has implemented many initiatives and projects in some Arab countries such as Yemen, Morocco and Syria to address the problem of widespread unemployment among Arab youth. It also aims at helping them find jobs and the resources necessary to establish and develop their own projects by providing wide and innovative solutions in the field of employment, development and entrepreneurship for local, regional and international partners.
  • The establishment of Education Above All Foundation in 2008 with the aim of protecting and supporting the right to education in areas afflicted with or threatened by crises, conflicts and wars. This foundation has implemented many projects in Palestine, Iraq, and other countries. It also operates through specialized programs and numerous projects such as Educate A Child, Al Fakhoora, and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict. The Foundation has triggered more than (55) projects around the world, distributed in 48 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab world. These projects cover primary, technical, and higher education programs, and issues such as health, well-being and basic rights. The projects are implemented with more than 67 partners, including governments that support and finance education and development projects, and are members of the Economic and Social Council.

     

    Third: Signing several bilateral agreements with various countries of the world to promote and protect investments, avoid double taxation, and strengthen bilateral trade, economic, cultural, political, scientific and development relations; technical cooperation; and exchange of expertise.

    Fourth: Hosting several global international conferences and forums on trade, development, new democracies and financing for development, in cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations and bodies. The most important international events are:

  • World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in 2001.
  • Second Summit of the Group of 77 and China in 2005.
  • Sixth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies in 2006.
  • Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus in 2008.
  • Fourth UN Forum of Alliances of Civilization in 2011.
  • Thirteenth Conference of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) in 2012.
  • Eighteenth Doha Conference of the Parties (COP18)
  • Afghanistan peace talks held by senior Afghan leaders in Doha, July 2021.
  • International meeting on Afghanistan, August 10, 2021.
  • Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan under the auspices of the State of Qatar 02/29/2021.
  • Interfaith Dialogue Conference on May 24-25, 2022

Various Aspects of International Cooperation

International cooperation contributes to the establishment of international and regional partnerships related to various issues such as energy, water, environmental protection, and building, training and qualifying Qatari human capacities. Other issues include establishing academic and research partnerships with many international universities, and research centers related to computing, energy, the environment, biomedical and social research, information technology, and humanities. In addition, international cooperation helps provide material, technical and moral support for researchers working in the state, as well as scholarships to many students from Arab and Islamic countries and low-income countries, and countries affected by conflicts.

There are also various areas of humanitarian support that focus on developing and least developed countries. They aim at activating Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG 17) regarding international partnership for development. This diverse partnership also contributes to strengthening national institutions (governmental and non-governmental), businesses, interests and values, as well as supporting Qatar's national security, global harmony, and international peace and security. This policy helps to establish integrated and peaceful societies with strong institutions based on accountability and efficiency, in which social justice prevails and therefore can be more capable of providing stability in line with the two Development Goals (SDG 11, 16).

Examples of International Cooperation

Cooperation in the Field of Sports:

The State of Qatar is one of the sponsors of the United Nations draft resolution on sport for development and peace. Believing in the importance of sports in promoting development and peace, the State of Qatar has paid great attention to sport. This is evident in hosting many international sporting events, and spreading sports culture in the state through launching several local and international initiatives, such as the Qatar National Sports Day and the ‘Doha Goals’ initiative, which constitute a platform for global development initiatives through sports, in addition to hosting the 2022 World Cup in Doha.

Cooperation in the Field of Climate Change:

Qatar National Vision 2030 calls for supporting international efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, and to play a proactive regional role in mitigating its negative effects, especially on the Gulf countries. The State of Qatar hosted the 18th Doha Conference of Parties (COP18), and it opened the regional office of the Global Green Growth Institute in Doha to help developing countries adopt development strategies based on sustainability.

  • The State of Qatar signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement on April 22, 2016
  • The State of Qatar is a member of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and thus supports the United Nations initiative "Sustainable Energy for All" (SE4ALL) through financing the Fund, especially for developing countries.
  • The State of Qatar is a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future.