Qatar has stressed that it attaches great importance to national development, regional stability and global harmony. It also contributes significantly to international development and to alleviating the suffering of those affected by war and conflict through humanitarian assistance and development projects in many areas of conflict and occupation.
In a speech at the opening of the 30th ministerial session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut on Wednesday, HE Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi noted that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attaches great importance to realising the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030, namely economic development, social development, human development and environmental development, which are in line with global goals.
Dr al-Hammadi stressed Qatar's commitment to continue its approach to developing comprehensive, integrated and balanced methods to promote a culture of partnership and innovation and to take further initiatives based on the values of co-operation, solidarity and the maintenance of fundamental rights, which place humanity at the center of its priorities.
Qatar, he said, firmly believes that the right to development is one of the fundamental and inalienable human rights and that equal opportunities for development are one of the pillars of good governance and are the best way to build healthy, peaceful and integrated societies, which are the means to protect young people from the scourge of extremism, violence and terrorism.
Healthy society and happy individual are the goal of every quest for sustainable growth and prosperity, he said.
He pointed out that Qatar's second national development strategy for 2018-2022 highlighted the importance of the international co-operation sector in enhancing Qatar's regional economic, political and cultural role to contribute to global peace and security through political initiatives and development and humanitarian aid, noting that Qatar has benefited greatly from the experiences of ESCWA and its technical perspectives in the preparation of this strategy, which was launched in March.
During the presidency of Qatar for the 29th session of ESCWA over the past two years, many workshops and technical events were held in the fields of sustainable development, economy, trade, energy, water, women and others, he said.
During Qatar's presidency, emphasis was placed on the implementation of the 2030 agenda, beginning with the adoption of the ministerial declaration in Doha, which sets practical steps on how to approach the implementation of the agenda at the national and regional levels, reaching to the establishment of a unit to support the Arab countries in implementing the agenda of the executive secretariat, as well as Qatar's interest in multidimensional poverty issues and the issuance of the first Arab report based on this broader concept of poverty, Dr al-Hammadi said, adding that it was adopted by the council of Arab ministers of social affairs.
He said that during the presidency of Qatar, the regional plan of action for supporting Arab statistics bodies to implement the 2030 Agenda was adopted, in addition to paying particular attention to financing for development issues as the mainstay of implementing the 2030 agenda through technical studies as well as training.
"With the conclusion of the presidency of the State of Qatar for the 29th session of ESCWA, I would like to congratulate our brothers in the Republic of Tunisia on their assumption of the presidency of the 30th session of ESCWA and wish them a successful term in running the activities and events of the session," he said.
Dr al-Hammadi pointed out that the world today, especially the Arab region, is going through a very dangerous and complex phase, in terms of the major challenges and pressing issues that are embodied in the suffering of the peoples, and is a constant concern for the rulers and officials.
He explained that these challenges and issues are wars and conflicts, displacement and migrations, fabricated crises, economic fluctuations and other threats to international peace and security, which negatively affect regional and global efforts to implement the global goals of sustainable development 2030.
He added that exerting more efforts and providing the resources to overcome these major challenges are the fundamental duties.
This will not be fully realised without joint action, co-operation, regional and international co-operation and support, especially in the Middle East and the Arab region, as affirmed by the Doha declaration issued at the conclusion of the 29th ESCWA Ministerial Session held in Doha in 2016, he said.
He also referred to the lessons learned from the history of development work in meeting the requirements of the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, which will not be fully implemented without global partnerships to create an international and regional environment conducive to development, taking into account the different capacities and levels of development of countries and respecting national policies, priorities and national ownership.
Dr al-Hammadi stressed that achieving comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development required the mobilisation of the necessary means and the promotion of effective international co-operation by creating genuine partnerships based on a spirit of global and regional solidarity and the involvement of national governments, civil society organisations and members of society with the need for full respect for human rights.
He stressed the importance of using technology to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
The enormous potential of information technology can be used for economic, social and environmental development, he said, adding that focusing on research and development activities to promote new materials technology, information and communication, biotechnology and the adoption of sustainable technological mechanisms.
He stated that the performance of private enterprises can also be improved through certain inputs based on modern technology, as well as the development of new institutional patterns, including cities and incubators of technology.
Dr al-Hammadi pointed out that technology can be used to promote capacity-building in science, technology, and innovation, with a view to achieving the goals of sustainable development in the knowledge-based economy, in particular, that capacity-building is the only way to promote competitiveness, increase economic growth, generate new employment and reduce poverty.
Plans and programmes aimed at transforming society into an information society could be developed so that new technologies could be integrated into social and economic development plans and strategies, in addition to developing national innovation policies and new technology strategies with a focus on information and communication technology for comprehensive and sustainable development, he added.
He called for the promotion of innovation, the exchange of best practices and successful and tested development solutions, and the creation of appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms during implementation in order to reduce costs and ensuring the desired results.
The 30th Ministerial Session of ESCWA, entitled technology for sustainable development in the Arab Region, was attended by Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Dr Mohamed Ali al-Hakim and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
