Executive Director of Global Dryland Alliance (GDA), ambassador Bader Omar al-Dafa, said that the initiative by Qatar to stablish the GDA, presented by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has enjoyed worldwide appreciation.
The initiative is an affirmation of Qatar’s commitment to food security, which tops the global agenda, through both the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) the ambassador noted that the initiative seeks to mobilise global support, as it was presented to the United Nations and its specialised agencies as well as to a specific group of dryland countries around the world and to fund banks and research and development centres.
The Amir presented the initiative of the Global Dryland Alliance in a speech at the 68th session United Nations General Assembly in September 2014.
Ambassador al-Dafa explained that as the owner of the initiative, Qatar has undertaken the preparation of the Alliance’s reference documents and their review by the United Nations, its specialised agencies and at least two of the most prominent houses of expertise in areas related to food security.
He pointed that Qatar has hosted in Doha, as well as in different parts of the world (Rio de Janeiro, New York, Rome, Milan, Marrakech and Tunis), a number of conferences, seminars and research forums to present the coalition initiative and to start co-ordination and consultation with its supporting countries and other partners from public and private sectors.
He pointed out that at the founding conference held in Doha in October 2017 under the effective chairmanship of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar has pledged to provide the Alliance’s operational budget for two years.
He added that the Alliance has signed a headquarters agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granting GDA a number of privileges and facilities like those given to similar international organisations.
The State also committed to grant the alliance two plots of land to establish a model farm and a research centre for dryland.
He added that the support given by Qatar to GDA would complement other resources derived from member states’ contributions, donations and joint property revenues from research and patent development, as well as co-financing with banks, international financial institutions, the private sector, and humanitarian and food security organisations.
On the priorities of the Alliance’s activities in the current period in terms of assisting member-states to ensure or at least contribute to the provision of food security under the current circumstances, ambassador al-Dafa said that realising food security needs a priority arrangement in co-ordination with member states and other partners to develop scientifically planned implementable strategies.
For this purpose, he pointed, an international symposium of high-level experts on food security in the Alliance countries was recently organised, in order to examine the realities, challenges and priorities of food security in these countries.
The seminar saw presentations and papers that will enable the GDA to develop a road map for its priorities in the coming stages, he added.
On his assessment of Qatar’s efforts in facing drought and desertification at the local and external levels, ambassador Bader Omar al-Dafa stressed that despite the siege imposed on the country for more than a year, Qatar has made impressive achievements in many of the related areas through national programmes of action focused on sustainable development, capacity-building, meteorological support, the use of appropriate technology and training in agriculture, as well as the State’s accession to a number of relevant international conventions, in addition to its projects and programmes related to desertification, including the project of classification and conservation of wild plants, protection of the Ghaf plant and the establishment of the field genetic bank and land rehabilitation projects and other vital plans and strategies.
He stressed that through these achievements, Qatar has demonstrated its ability to face challenges, relying on the vision of its political leadership and the dedication of its efficient human resources.
He said that the figures and statistics issued in this regard by relevant Qatari government sectors, such as the Ministry of Municipalities and Environment, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, can be seen as a source of pride.
On his vision of Qatar’s humanitarian and development programmes at the international level, which relate to sustainable development and combating drought and desertification in poor countries affected by drought, he pointed out that the commitment of Qatar to the benefit of international development is well known and praised in all forums.
He added that as part of this commitment, the establishment of the Global Dryland Alliance could be listed as a contribution by Qatar to the establishment of an international organisation for the food security in dryland countries, which is also a support for the global effort to promote international peace and security through the eradication of poverty and hunger.
He underlined the importance of noting the roles of Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Investment Fund in supporting the sustainable development of a number of countries in the world.
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