This came in a statement delivered by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani before the high-level forum on the culture of peace at the UN headquarters in New York yesterday.
She said: “As part of the international community’s commitment to the Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace, we must acknowledge the efforts and the achievements made in the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence.
“We must also recognise that the path towards achieving and spreading the culture of peace in the world is not free of obstacles and challenges that cannot be overcome without co-operation between member-states, intergovernmental organisations, civil society, the academic sector and the business sector.”
In this regard, she praised the inclusion of dissemination of the culture of peace in the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, particularly the 16th goal, pointing that Qatar attaches great importance to it.
She added that as part of Qatar’s relentless efforts to promote peace and understanding among peoples and to promote values of tolerance and co-operation between cultures and faiths, the country has established several national institutions that promote the culture of peace, acceptance of the other, the fight against violent extremism and renouncing violence, and play an active role in spreading the of peace at the national, regional and international levels.
She pointed out that the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue actively contributes to efforts of combating extremism and hatred and to building bridges of co-operation and understanding between followers of different religions.