Speech by His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Before The Summit of the Future
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Your Excellency, President of the United Nations General Assembly,
Your Excellency, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,
Distinguished attendees,
At the outset, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Philemon Yang on his election as President of the seventy-ninth Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
I also express our appreciation to the co-facilitators for the wise management of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Pact for the Future.
We associate ourselves with the statement of the Group of 77 and China, and hope that a Draft Pact for the Future will be adopted this morning.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The State of Qatar is fully convinced that the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals entail more international and national efforts. This came in support for the recommendations of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in his report entitled "Our Common Agenda", and as an extension of Qatar’s participation in leading the negotiations on the Political Declaration of the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development held last year.
Mr. President,
Today, our world is facing serious challenges that hinder its economic progress, threaten its social peace, and slow down efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Wars and armed conflicts, as well as 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 aspire to.
In this respect, we stress the importance of strengthening global governance, including the reform of international financial structures and debt relief and bridging the digital divide.
In this context, efforts need to be strengthened to achieve sustainable economic growth, social well-being based on the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, in addition to promoting climate action in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.
Mr. President,
At the national level and under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the State of Qatar launched this year its Third National Development Strategy within the framework of Qatar Vision 2030. This is based on its keenness to build a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy, taking advantage of digital technology applications, science and innovations, and the promotion of human development. The State of Qatar has achieved remarkable successes on the ground, reflecting the effectiveness of the state’s strategic choices.
At the international level, the State of Qatar reaffirms its commitment to multilateral international action.
In 2018, His Highness the Amir pledged $500 million to support the core resources of UN agencies for ten years.
During the Climate Action Summit in 2019, the State of Qatar announced the allocation of $100 million to support Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries in the Caribbean, the Pacific and Africa.
In March 2023, Doha hosted the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, where the State of Qatar pledged $60 million to implement development programmes in those countries.
Mr. President,
Development cannot be achieved without establishing the foundations of peace and stability. Thus, the State of Qatar continues its tireless efforts in mediation in order to prevent the outbreak of conflicts and resolve them through peaceful means.
The State of Qatar is currently engaged in a number of mediations, including the 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 on the parties to the conflict to reach a ceasefire agreement and release prisoners and detainees, and we urge the international community to take a clear position on violations of international law and international humanitarian law regarding the repeated attacks on schools, hospitals, relief workers and displaced people in Gaza.
Mr. President,
The State of Qatar is proud to host the Second World Summit for Social Development, which will be the world’s most prominent event in 2025 as part of the three summits recommended by "Our Common Agenda".
We look forward to welcoming participants from all over the world to Doha, and to achieving tangible results that contribute to building a better world.
Thank you, Mr. President