Doha, Qatar, 29 April 2013
Your Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nassir, the First Lady,
Your Excellency, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabr bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Statistics Authority,
Excellencies, the Ministers, Ambassadors and Senior Officials,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honor to be here with you today in the city of Doha, in my country, Qatar, in response to the kind invitation to address this important conference “on the Alliance of Civilizations and the Millennium Development Goals,” held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nassir.
I am also very pleased that the conference is being held at the beginning of my tenure as the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations. I have identified sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as one my six priorities for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations during the next five years of my mandate.
Following the successful hosting of the fourth Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Doha in December 2011, the Doha Declaration established a strategic approach linking its objectives to these of the Millennium Development Goals, while at the same time, harnessing both tracks so as to serve issues relevant to peace and security as well as justice and development, emanating from our belief in the inter-connectedness between the coexistence of cultures and development issues.
That being said, I have stated that follow-up for the Doha Conference with its emphasis on inter-connectedness between the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and development, will be one of my six priorities during my tenure as High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
At the United Nations, we believe that security, peace, development and human rights are all principles that are interrelated and affect each other. In that context, the dialogue between diverse cultures is already an integral part of the means to achieve sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals.
In the next phase, I have pledged to restructure the Alliance, and strengthen its financial resources in a way that would contribute to the new vision which includes strengthening the ability of the Alliance to play a bigger role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as well as in other areas in the work of the United Nations.
I would, of course, be counting on the political will of Member States, especially the Group of Friends of the Alliance, as well as the AoC global forums host countries, and the support of H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The eight Millennium Development Goals which were launched in the 2000 World Summit at the United Nations, were reaffirmed in two world summits in 2005 and 2010. They were held at the level of heads of state and government and formed key tracks for social, economic and environmental development.
At this difficult phase challenging the world in general, and the Arab region in particular, I would like to stress that it is important for world leaders to honor the obligations of their countries in using all tools to achieve human security at all levels including security and development.
In fact, the current stage requires that we recall the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000, in which the Heads of State and Government stressed on the importance of collective responsibility in upholding the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level and the importance of international cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian challenges.
It was also stressed that the principles of “freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility” are key in our quest to build international relationships vital to the realization of fairness and justice. And as you may all know very well, the “eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations” emerged from this Declaration. These include: poverty eradication, education, health, environmental sustainability, gender equality and the establishment of a global partnership for sustainable development.
As we approach the due date at the year 2015, it is to be noted that it is incumbent to support all national, regional and global efforts so as to achieve the biggest possible progress in fulfilling these goals, being one of the most important tools that contribute to building a peaceful and educated society that enjoys good health and better justice.
It goes without saying that, in our world today security and development are inseparable. Security cannot be achieved in the absence of a comprehensive equitable and sustainable development. It is to be noted that when there is no peace, nor security and when conflicts aggravate due to the lack of social and political equity or as a result of disputes over natural resources, the prospects for achieving necessary progress in sustainable human development that live up to the people’s aspirations, are diminished.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to seize the opportunity of being at this platform to inform you about Alliance activities conducive to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The programs carried out by the Alliance contribute to a large extent in mitigating the effects of poverty.
The Alliance of Civilizations plays a major role in capacity building and development through its activities in key areas such as youth and education. I was personally honored to be designated by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nassir, as a member of the Board of Trustees of Her Highness important initiative “Education above all”. I am in contact with the UNESCO to sign an MOU between them and the Alliance that would lead to launching joint programs in the areas of education and youth.
The efforts of the State of Qatar are not confined to the national level. It extends to include creative initiatives that aim at pushing forward the development process at the multilateral level. To single out a few : the initiative “Education is above all” that aims at promoting education in conflict zones, and “link” that provides jobs for young people in the least developed countries, as well as the establishment of the South Fund for humanitarian aid to developing countries, and other development-related initiatives.
The Alliance also has fruitful programs in the field of media, especially in light of the growing role of the traditional media and the proliferation of social media forums, where we believe that it is necessary that media should keep pace with development efforts, given its role in the rapprochement between civilizations through awareness programs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While seeking to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, especially the first two goals, namely combating poverty and promote access to education, including in the Arab region, we should pay attention particularly to young people, as the south countries and the Arab region have the highest rates of unemployment in the world, particularly among young people.
It is unfortunate, that the lack of job opportunities may force them to migrate through illegal channels. This may result in first, destabilizing the social fabric in their home countries and second, in the emergence of impeccable relations between immigrants and the host country.
That being said, I have recently established a channel of communication with the International Migration Organization that will lead to a fruitful cooperation for enabling the Alliance to take advantage of the benefits of migration and mitigate its effects on the other side.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It should be noted that the third goal of the MDGs on gender equality is closely linked to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and post 2015. This was endorsed by the outcome document of the 57th Conference on the Status of Women last March, which stressed the need to include strengthening and empowering women among the priorities of the national agenda of governments.
The document also stressed on the Elimination of all forms of violence against women and called on the private sector and civil society to redouble their efforts towards financing of projects aimed at gender equality and empowerment of women. In this regard, I would like to pay tribute to the active role played by Qatar Foundation in empowering and promoting the role of women.
In the area of environmental sustainability, the Alliance has participated in international conferences, given the role it can play in overcoming political differences resulting from overlapping interests over treaties and climate change agreements, when decision makers reach the conviction that the impact of environmental degradation, be it natural or man-made, does not distinguish between countries of the North and the countries of the South, and the repercussions of disasters does not discriminate between countries in the East or countries in the West.
As for the eighth MDG, the Alliance has and encourages partnerships, including with NGOs and economic institutions, as well as media sectors and civil society.
I also intend to introduce new concepts to the activities of Alliance, such as arts and music, using them as additional tools for preventive diplomacy besides the use of mediation to resolve disputes, a principle that is stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Vienna Declaration which was endorsed by consensus at the conclusion of the 5th Global Forum for the Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, in which youth leaders, and representatives of the private sector and civil society, and the media, as well as government representatives and leaders from around the world participated, affirmed the commitment of various governments and international organizations around the world to promote dialogue between cultures.
I announced, back then, that we “will strive to use the available tools to address conflicts all over the world. Conflicts are a fact and we cannot simply escape them”.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before I conclude, I would like to affirm that the State of Qatar was and will always be at the forefront of countries supporting international efforts in building equitable and international partnerships for development through assisting developing countries in generating sources of income for the poor, creating job opportunities for the youth and strengthening efforts aimed at combating poverty, hunger and promoting education.
The United Nations is already exerting a lot of efforts to achieve the MDGs, but the responsibility is on the Member States. At this point, we need an honest and fair assessment of what has and what has not been achieved and how can we learn from past lessons.
To be honest, it is the responsibility of governments to coordinate their internal policies and priorities in a way that places development as a criterion by which they measure their progress, which is what was done by the State of Qatar, for example, at the launch of the 2030Vision.
It is also imperative that countries formulate laws in a way that serves this purpose. Efforts should be redoubled in the areas of research and reports, and data gathering, as well as training professionals who deal with development and cultural issues, so as to increase their awareness of the culture of dialogue and peace that can help achieve development.
Thank you for your attention and I wish your conference success.