Media Center

New York / Information Office / October 10

The State of Qatar has reiterated its commitment to continue working with the international community to implement international commitments and contribute to the establishing the rule of law at the national and international levels.
This came in a statement delivered by Ali Ahmed Al Mansouri, member of the State of Qatar delegation to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, before the Sixth Committee on the Rule of Law at the national and international levels, at United Nations headquarters in New York.

He said that conflicts and tensions in the world have serious consequences for the security and stability of countries and impede the development process needed by their peoples. The international reality has confirmed that countries with weak rule of law are more vulnerable to conflicts and crises, which negatively affects those countries and peace and security at regional and international levels, he added.

He stressed that the commitment of States to the rule of law at the national and international levels provides the required environment to overcome the challenges and problems facing many societies. Hence, Member States stressed in the 2005 Summit Declaration "the importance of the rule of law as an essential element of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-building " .

"The international community has recognized that the rule of law will not prevail within societies if human dignity and human rights are not protected, because the rule of law is the mechanism of implementation in the field of human rights and it is capable of turning this principle into reality, so according to this approach, the principle of the rule of law has emerged as an essential element in the consolidation of political, economic, social and cultural rights. ", he noted

In keeping with the universality of the principle of the rule of law and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, the implementation of the rule of law at the international level necessitates the subordination of relations between States to this principle and respect for the principles of equality, mutual respect and international cooperation, including obligations and guarantees, which require mechanisms for follow-up and accountability for the implementation by States of their national and international obligations in this area. "

He pointed out that the international situation is in an urgent need to implement the principle of the rule of law as the cornerstone of international relations. The international law emphasizes respect for the sovereignty and choices of states and to refrain from any action that would harm its people and national security and distort its image and create a situation of regional and international instability, he said stressing that any attempt to impose policies on States to achieve objectives prohibited by international law constitutes a flagrant violation of the will of the international community to abide by the principle of the rule of law and flagrant violations of human rights and of peoples, as well as the violation of the principle of equality, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. The mandate of United Nations organs set out in the Charter and a direct threat to international peace and security.

The State of Qatar, he said, in its belief in the principle of the rule of law, continued its commitment and efforts to uphold this principle at the national and international levels, adding that at the national level, government institutions are keen to uphold the rule of law and it continues its efforts to raise societal awareness of this principle, being the key to achieving equality and justice among all and promoting good governance in political, economic and social life. In this context, he said that the leadership of the State has attached special importance to the strengthening of national institutions working on the implementation of the principle of the rule of law, with a view to ensuring clear national legal frameworks for the promotion of law based on international norms and in accordance with the High-level Declaration on the Rule of Law.

He noted that the Qatari constitution contains basic provisions that strengthen the separation of the three powers and define their duties with a view to ensuring respect for public rights and freedoms, organizing political, economic and social life and developing national legislations to ensure their conformity with the international conventions to which the State of Qatar is a party, in addition to acceding to the international instruments which the State has not joined. He pointed out that the State of Qatar has also paid particular attention to the integration of national laws with international instruments in the field of the rule of law, based on the shared responsibility of States to face domestic, regional and international challenges.

At the international level, the State of Qatar continues to cooperate with international institutions concerned with strengthening the rule of law, believing that respect for the law was a prerequisite for the promotion of international peace and security and for development, he added.

Under the commitment of the State of Qatar to international cooperation, it was keen to contribute actively to the efforts of the international community to achieve international peace and security through its contribution to the peaceful settlement of regional and international disputes based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law, in coordination with relevant United Nations bodies and relevant regional organizations, and in view of the importance of raising awareness about the rule of law at the regional level, the State of Qatar provided all the necessary resources for the Doha-based Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center, established in 2012, in order to carry out its tasks in accordance with the mandate adopted by the United Nations. The Center is making great efforts to promote respect for the rule of law and to organize meetings, seminars and training workshops with specialists from various countries of the region in a way that contributes to strengthening the rule of law.

He reiterated the position of the State of Qatar that respecting and enforcing the rule of law means respecting and implementing the will of the international community, which has adopted international instruments that would uphold the rule of law in international relations, in particular international law guaranteeing equal rights and responsibilities for all, which require clear and transparent measures to hold accountable those responsible for serious violations of international law, international humanitarian law and human rights and to punish the perpetrators of international crimes, he noted.

He expressed the State of Qatar appreciation of the additional steps taken by the Secretary-General towards strengthening the Office of the Neutral and Independent International Mechanism to assist in the investigation of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic and in the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A / 73 / 253.