In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,
Excellencies,
His Excellency the High Representative of the European Union for Security and Policy Affairs,
His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Our partners in hosting the conference,
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the outset, I am pleased to convey the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and we affirm that Qatar's participation in hosting this conference emanates from the constant concern of the State of Qatar, and its role as an active partner in the international efforts to put an immediate end to the violence and to set the foundations for a permanent solution to the Syrian crisis.
While this meeting is being held, there are people who are suffering from the whir of cannons and the plane strikes, and they flee from death to the hell of suffering in the camps, children who got used to the sound of shells, the crying of mothers, and the whining of the wounded. All of these families were dispersed by tyrants, and the oppressors scattered their unity.
This meeting comes in response to the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in the history of mankind. Violations are increasing day after day, the most recent being the blatant violation of international law and Security Council resolution 2000/118. Yesterday, the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun, which killed dozens of civilians, mostly children, in what constitutes a new war crime requiring the intervention of the international community to assume its responsibilities.
As the systematic policy continues, nothing changes in Al-Assad's policy of terrorizing people, displacing them, starving the besieged, spreading sectarianism, terrorism, and extremism. This confirms to us that unless Al-Assad leaves, there will be no solution in Syria.
The Syrian crisis has resulted in thousands of innocent victims, and displaced millions of refugees out of their homes, finding themselves without a shelter to keep them warm in winter, and away from the summer's heat. They have been subjected to a gross violation of their human rights, in such a way, where one needs to devour other feelings and gifts of a particular kind to ignore the reason of this humanitarian catastrophe.
These horrific and disturbing realities place us as an international community in the face of a historic responsibility that requires us to act with determination to put an end to this humanitarian catastrophe, which in consequence threatens international security and peace.
I would like to praise the efforts made by all the host countries of the Syrian refugees.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Silence on war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria sends encouraging messages to the perpetrators of these crimes to continue to commit more, messages of desperation to the victims and their families, and sympathizers. Unfortunately, the absence of accountability for the perpetrators of those crimes has reinforced the horrific atrocities in abundance and continuation, and worsened the tragedy of the brotherly Syrian people.
Six years have passed and the international community has been unable to achieve justice and redress for the victims. Accountability is therefore necessary to end the ongoing violence that has fueled the spread of the causes of violent extremism and terrorism.
Based on the legal, ethical and humanitarian responsibilities, the State of Qatar has supported all international efforts to achieve accountability for all crimes and violations, which culminated in the adoption of General Assembly resolution 71/248 and the establishment of an independent international mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for crimes committed in Syria since 2011.
We stress here that this mechanism should be activated urgently to move towards fair criminal proceedings in accordance with international law.
In support of international efforts to enforce justice, the State of Qatar has provided financial support of $500,000 to the independent international mechanism. In response to the Secretary-General's plan to operationalize the mechanism, I am pleased to announce an additional pledge of $500,000 from the State of Qatar. There is a need for real support for Syria. The current course of international conferences and meetings unfortunately does not lead to the desired solution as the support for Syria is not done only by money, and if we do not stop the daily massacres, we will continue to pay humanitarian, economic, and security costs for decades to come.
Hence, it became clear that any political transition or political solution would not lead to an effective and sustainable outcome without accountability for those involved in committing violations and crimes against the Syrian people.
Dear audience,
In compliance with the pledge we made to support the oppressed and to stand with our Syrian brothers, the leadership, government and people of Qatar have spared no effort in providing humanitarian assistance to the brotherly Syrian people. Since the beginning of the crisis, the State of Qatar has continued to support displaced people and refugees, either through the United Nations or individually or through bilateral channels with the host countries, particularly Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, who deserve our support.
When we realized that these aids are only a short break, amid continuous suffering that slowly destroys the Syrian people, and makes them in need, the State of Qatar felt that these refugees deserve to have more than bread to keep them content, or a piece of clothing for them to wear. They need help that lets them build themselves, and preserves their dignity. We did not find better than education to take their hand, it is the key to the doors of development and stability.
To make education accessible to all refugee children, Qatar has taken initiatives, including initiatives that focused on education and professional development, in partnership with many humanitarian and regional organizations. The Qatari initiative for the education and training of Syrian refugees came last September on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations for 400,000 beneficiaries of the Syrian people for five years, as part of the State of Qatar's pledge of $100 million at the London conference last year. As well as the "Teach a Child" initiative, which is benefiting about 985,000 children in the Syrian refugee camps.
These initiatives have contributed to the empowerment and protection of children from extremism, exploitation, and abuse. When turmoil prevails, opportunities are lost, extremism spreads, and safety is lost.
The State of Qatar also hosts more than 60,000 Syrian brothers, as well as 7,000 people who have been reunited with their families residing in Qatar.
Qatari charities have also done what they were able to do to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. The total amount of support provided to the Syrian people has reached $452 million since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Its plans in 2017-2018 include giving over $200 million.
The total humanitarian assistance of the State of Qatar amounted to approximately $1.6 billion dollars in order to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people inside and outside Syria through international humanitarian organizations and donor conferences.
In parallel with meeting the needs of Syrian refugees and displaced people, we stress the need to prepare now for a political agreement and a cessation of violence for reconstruction. The unprecedented damage caused by the violence in Syria will require intensive efforts and considerable resources for reconstruction. This issue is of great importance for creating conditions conducive to the maintenance of security and stability for the Syrian people and the building of the State, and its institutions.
Since this conference has given importance to discuss the issue of reconstruction, we affirm that the State of Qatar, based on its fraternal relations with the Syrian people and its humanitarian and moral duty, will spare no efforts in this regard.
Hence, I am pleased to announce the contribution of the State of Qatar of $100 million to support the humanitarian situation of the brotherly Syrian people this year.
On the basis of our international commitments, we reaffirm the importance of collective and comprehensive responses, the strengthening of contributions, and the fulfillment of our commitments to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and the region.
Your Excellencies,
The success in confronting the catastrophic and serious humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis can only be achieved by finding a political solution that will end this crisis radically. This is the responsibility of the international community, especially the Security Council and the active parties.
In conclusion, the State of Qatar reaffirms its unwavering support for international efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis on the basis of the first Geneva Declaration of 2012, and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, in particular resolution 2254, and to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for security and stability, and the maintenance of their territorial integrity.
Thank you.