The State of Qatar is preparing to inaugurate the United Nations House in the capital, Doha, on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference of the Least Developed Countries, to culminate half a century of partnership and dynamic relations with the United Nations, which included many stations and joint work to build peace and development and confront global challenges.
This UN headquarters in the heart of Doha represents a living embodiment of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the country, and the wise leadership’s vision of the importance of strengthening the pillars of collective multilateral action to confront the grave and diverse challenges that cross borders, on top of which are the threats to international peace and security, and environmental issues, sustainable development, and building a more equal and resilient world, within the framework of the pivotal role of the United Nations.
The coincidence of the opening of the United Nations House with the Fifth United Nations Conference of the Least Developed Countries, during the period from 5 to 9 March, adds new dimensions to the relationship between the two sides, foremost of which is the commitment to this partnership and cooperation to strengthen the foundations of multilateral collective action in a way that responds to the aspirations and hopes of the peoples of the world. And it consolidates Doha’s position at the international level after it became an international center and a springboard for international programs and initiatives concerned with development and peace.
The United Nations House houses offices for important international organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the Regional Center for Training and Capacity Building in the Field of Combating Cybercrime, and the Analysis and Communication Center of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Conflict. Armed Forces, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Office of the United Nations Development Programme, the Doha International Center for Applying Behavioral Insights to Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism, the Office for Parliamentary Participation in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, and the United Nations Regional Center for Combating Cybercrime.
Since its accession to the international organization, the State of Qatar has been one of the largest supporters of the international organization, and continues to date to make financial contributions to many of its affiliated bodies and entities, and the year 2018 was one of the most important stations in the process of cooperation and partnership between the two sides, as it witnessed the signing of several agreements on the sidelines of the forum Doha, and it was one of its most prominent fruits "United Nations House ".
The agreements included the State of Qatar providing support for United Nations organizations in the amount of $500 million and the establishment of four new United Nations offices in Doha. They also included a pledge by the State of Qatar to provide annual support to the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The year 2021 witnessed the signing of the State of Qatar and the United Nations two agreements to open two new offices of the organization in Doha, an office of the United Nations Development Program to support efforts and ways to achieve sustainable development goals globally, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which will assume the United Nations mission of coordinating global humanitarian operations. Through partnerships with national and international agencies.
The same year also witnessed the inauguration of the United Nations Office on Parliamentary Participation in Preventing and Combating Terrorism. This office is the first of its kind in the world, and aims to assist all parliaments of the countries of the world through its programs and activities aimed at supporting the efforts of the international community in preventing and combating terrorism.
The State of Qatar has called on more than one occasion for the need to strengthen cooperation and partnership with the United Nations and in all political, diplomatic, humanitarian and development fields, environmental issues, climate change, health, education and other vital sectors of cooperation, so that the United Nations House embodies this approach and strengthens this strategic partnership to serve the peoples of the region. the world for decades to come.
This strategic partnership was expressed by His Excellency Mr. Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, in his speech during the Economic and Social Council Forum on Follow-up to Financing for Development for 2022, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York last April, when he affirmed Qatar’s keenness to work closely with partners. At the international level, including United Nations bodies and entities, he added that Doha is a key partner in providing support through bilateral and multilateral agreements, and implementing development projects that have a positive impact in responding to challenges and accelerating comprehensive and sustainable growth.
In a previous interview with HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, published by the Diplomat magazine, issued by the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she referred to the active and active presence of the State of Qatar at the international level within the framework of its partnership with the United Nations, saying that the choice of nations The United Nations to Doha to open offices for its organs and organizations carries a very important message and indication that it is an effective and reliable partner for the United Nations in facing challenges and their effects in the region, and that stability, prosperity and space for freedoms in the country allow those organizations to work freely and independently, in line with the standards approved by the United Nations.
The State of Qatar, as it opens the United Nations House and hosts the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, affirms that global partnership is urgent at the present time, especially as many countries of the world, especially the least developed countries, are in a race against time to achieve the goals of sustainable development. on various social, economic and environmental levels by 2030, which necessitates the creation of a new global partnership that guarantees "Leave no one behind" As the United Nations always crosses.
This is the international conference "A once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in the regions most in need of international assistance, and to harness the full potential of the least developed countries in a way that helps them advance towards prosperity"Hence, Doha becomes an important starting point for accelerating the pace of work towards achieving the goals of 2030.
This was evident in the statement delivered by Mr. Shaheen Ali Al-Kaabi, Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in February this year, before the meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council Partnership Forum, which was held in New York, where he reaffirmed Qatar’s keenness to strengthen its partnership with the United Nations to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and addressing current challenges.
He explained that the United Nations House in Doha includes a number of offices of UN agencies and their affiliated organizations for rapid response to humanitarian crises, climate change problems, conflict resolution, combating the threat of terrorism and violent extremism, addressing the influx of refugees, and promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
And to emphasize the importance of partnerships within the framework of the international organization, HE the Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar attaches utmost importance to goal (17) of the sustainable development goals, which is establishing partnerships to achieve the goals, through close cooperation and strong partnership with the United Nations and its organizations and agencies. . This is what the State of Qatar has been doing over the past decades.
In a previous interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) HE Mr. Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, said that the State of Qatar has become one of the largest donors and supporters of the United Nations, achieving a great presence, unconventional effectiveness and great influence at the decision-making level regionally and internationally.
He explained that the total financial assistance provided by the State of Qatar to United Nations organizations amounted to nearly $900 million, from 2013 until mid-2022.. adding "Through the Qatar Fund for Development, we have been able to highlight the efforts of the State of Qatar in achieving peace and sustainable and lasting development, and to make a difference in fragile and marginalized societies around the world, through the support of our local and international strategic partners such as the United Nations institutions.".
The United Nations appreciates this active and supportive Qatari presence of the international organization over the past fifty years, in its initiatives, programs and plans in the fields of sustainable development, conflict prevention and settlement, combating terrorism, climate action, health, and others at the regional and global levels, he stressed. His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a congratulatory message on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the State of Qatar’s accession to the organization.
HE Mr. Guterres expressed his thanks to the State of Qatar for its unwavering support to the United Nations, and his aspiration to strengthen relations between the United Nations and the State of Qatar in the coming years in their endeavor to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights for all.
As it accelerates the steps towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations organization is betting on the strategic role of the State of Qatar in this process, as Mr. Belov Chowdhury, the technical representative and head of the United Nations Development Program in Doha, confirms in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) the keenness to strengthen this partnership. strategy for future development.
He added: "The United Nations Development Program in Qatar works as a partner with the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Qatar Fund for Development, and the Education Above All Foundation, all of whom we consider to be strategic partners. We provide seamless access to technical advisory services, through the structure of the global policy network of UNDP United Development".
The UN official explained to QNA that the main role of the UNDP office in Qatar is to strengthen the growing multifaceted strategic partnership between the State of Qatar and the program on the future of development, facilitate cooperation in new horizons for innovative development solutions, build long-term capabilities, and organize dialogues on Policies, and the establishment of influential partnerships on a large scale to achieve the goals of sustainable development at the national, regional and global levels".
In addition, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Muhammad Ali Ensour, said in a similar statement to QNA that Doha’s hosting of many United Nations agencies and offices reflects the best practices of the State of Qatar in its partnership with the international organization, and Ensour stressed The facilities provided by the State of Qatar to the United Nations in terms of headquarters and privileges for the organization and the working group are unprecedented… I thank the Qatari leadership for all this support.
