Media Center

Doha / Information Office / November 19

The State of Qatar attaches great importance to the implementation of the international development goals, and stressed in this context the alignment of national priorities with the sustainable development agenda 2030, said HE Ambassador Tariq bin Ali Faraj Al-Ansari, Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He noted that Qatar National Vision 2030 sought to crystallize that in terms of its four pillars including economic, social, human and environmental development spheres.

This came in a speech delivered by HE Ambassador Al-Ansari today at the Water and Energy Forum on the Sixth and Seventh Development Goals, water and sanitation services for all .

The workshop was held within a special session to discuss the implementation and review of development goals in the context of the high-level meeting to prepare for the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development in Doha.

The Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar attaches importance to these two development goals in terms of energy and water in the national sphere. Its national vision provided a framework for developing the necessary strategies to achieve this vision. By 2030, Qatar will be able to achieve sustainable development , and to ensure the continued existence of a decent life for its people generation after generation.

He noted that this year witnessed the launch of the second phase of the Qatar National Vision for Comprehensive Development, adding that the second national development strategy for the period 2017-2022 has set measurable goals through programs, projects and initiatives carried out by eight national teams in various areas of development goals. He said that many of these teams were keen to match the objectives of the sixth and seventh of the goals of sustainable development, in terms of strategic objectives and intermediate results that are measured periodically.

The natural resources sector, for example, he said is keen to establish integrated water and electricity management by the end of 2018 to achieve sustainable and diversified energy resources in Qatar, as well as improve the efficiency of water use in the domestic, industrial and construction sectors to achieve sustainable and diversified water resources as well as many other goals and programs that are in line with sustainable development goals.

Water security is a great challenge for the State of Qatar, HE Ambassador Al Ansari said , pointing out that the population growth in the country tripled between 2004 and 2014, which increased the demand for water by 10 percent annually, while the individual consumes 675 liters of water per day , Equivalent to twice the average consumption in the EU.

He said that the State of Qatar has several initiatives to address such challenges. For example, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMA) launched in 2012 a program for rationalization and conservation of water and electricity with plans to reduce water consumption in the country by 35 percent within five years.

The Water Security Research Strategy was launched with the aim of reducing energy consumption and desalination by 40 per cent, increasing water quality and reuse by 30 per cent, as well as partnering with international entities and countries with shared research objectives and interests with the State of Qatar, he said. 

HE Ambassador Tariq bin Ali Faraj Al-Ansari, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underlined that achieving sustainable and comprehensive economic, social and environmental growth requires the mobilization of the necessary means and the promotion of effective international cooperation through a genuine partnership as set out in the 17th Development Goal, as well as involves governments, civil society organizations and community members in this endeavor, taking into account the need for full respect for human rights.

He said that Qatar's continued commitment to supporting international efforts to achieve the goals of sustainable development has enhanced the scope of international cooperation for the second national development strategy, where for the first time, the international cooperation has become one of the eight core sectors of the strategy to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030. In this spirit, he added with the goals of sustainable development goals 2030, this strategy has been developed to enhance the role of international cooperation to ensure effective alignment between Qatar's national vision and sustainable development goals.

The State of Qatar, although a member of the South, he said voluntarily provides development assistance to friendly countries for the development of projects of more than 0.7 per cent, not less than State relief assistance in natural or man-made disasters, in the form of governmental and other assistance through civil society organizations . He noted that this assistance includes the field of infrastructure, covering establishment of power plants and water, both in low-income developing friendly countries or those in conflict.

He referred in a related context to the participation of the State of Qatar, for example, in the World Water Conference organized by the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with the United Nations last year, which focused on ways to provide clean water and sanitation for all countries.

On the other hand, HE Ambassador Al-Ansari told reporters after the workshop that the State of Qatar has benefited greatly from the lessons and successes achieved by the first phase of its national strategy for 2011-2016, beginning with the second phase in 2017 to 2022, 2030 to achieve sustainable development very well in the country.

He said that the State has eight sectoral strategies implementing the strategy leading to the national vision, referring to the international cooperation strategy launched in 2016 and led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the national team on international cooperation to bring expertise and meet the international standards of the 17 UN Development Goals, At the same time that the plans of the State of Qatar are consistent with, and even beyond, he added.

He said that one of the objectives of the strategy of international cooperation is to benefit all ministries, including the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, which oversees the national plan by bringing international standards to the development process in the country.

He referred to the great role of the strategy of international cooperation in strengthening Qatar's international relations and protecting its gains during the siege and avoiding its effects, stressing that the strategy of international cooperation is a continuous process and the ceiling of aspirations within it is not known to stop in terms of dealing with the emerging challenges and new international political changes to protect national gains, as there can be no internal development without a clear policy of international cooperation dealing with challenges and with the outside world to ensure the interests of the State of Qatar.