New York - 29 September
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, said in a statement at a meeting of the Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations held at the United Nations in New York to discuss "building bridges: using soft power to promote a culture of peace", that the State of Qatar reiterate its will to continue with its efforts with the United Nations Friends of Civilizations group to build bridges between all and achieve peace. He stressed that his country, in its belief in peace and the importance of promoting understanding and dialogue among civilizations and promoting the values of tolerance and cooperation between religions and cultures, has established institutions to spread the culture of peace, acceptance of each other, fight extremism and renounce violence, to combat extremism and renounce violence, such as the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and the Hamad Bin Khalifa Islamic Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, in support of international efforts to promote peaceful coexistence between religions. In this context, he referred to the "National Committee of the Alliance of Civilizations", which plays an active role in promoting a culture of dialogue and peace at the national level, where the Committee cooperates with institutions and organizations in the State to implement the objectives of the Alliance.
The State of Qatar has pledged this year to support the eighth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, to be held at the United Nations in New York on November 19, with a sum of 1.5 million dollars, as sponsor of the Forum.
The State of Qatar has followed a creative, neutral and credible foreign policy through the soft means it has adopted in its international relations, to bridge relations between the parties, to reduce tensions and to achieve sustainable reconciliations, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations relating to the peaceful resolution of disputes. He recalled his country's role in the progress achieved in achieving the sixteenth goal of the United Nations Plan for Sustainable Development, believing that international law and the rule of law were a source of stability, security and peace for the international community.
The minister added that education is one of the most important means to build peace and that his country's authorities have launched many educational initiatives at the national, regional and international levels that benefited millions of children and young people. He cited the institution "Education Above All" in partnership with UNICEF and more than 80 international partners, to provide quality education to 10 million children in more than 50 countries around the world, especially the areas of armed conflict, an initiative that has been announced by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser, President of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
He also referred to Qatar Investment Authority's efforts to promote stability and peace in developing countries facing development challenges, and to Qatari charities operating in many conflict areas. He noted Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup as a means of promoting communication and rapprochement between peoples.