Qatar keen to provide support to UN to fulfil its tasks and mandate

Qatar stressed its belief in the work undertaken by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), pointing out that it has strengthened its relationship with the institute through long-term partnerships for 2018, 2019, and 2020 to implement several programmes in vital areas, including training and improving the skills of diplomats in developing countries, international crises management, multilateral diplomacy, and other programs with a contribution from Qatar reaching $1.5mn.This came in a statement delivered by HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Dr Hend Abdalrahman al-Muftah, during the 9th Meeting of Friends of UNITAR in Geneva. HE al-Muftah noted that within its strategic partnership with the UN, Qatar was keen to provide various types of support that help the organisation fulfil its tasks and mandate, pointing out that Qatar has actively contributed to international efforts aimed at strengthening international peace and security, achieving development in all its fields, promoting and protecting human rights, and providing humanitarian relief through its initiatives and also through active participation in multilateral international collective action.In this regard, she indicated Qatar's recent efforts to support international endeavours to address the Covid-19 pandemic through its direct support to countries or by providing support to the World Health Organisation (WHO). She added that the UN House in Doha — which will include representative offices of several programmes and specialised agencies of the UN — is scheduled to open soon as an interpretation of the existing partnership between Qatar and the UN, expressing her hope that there would be a representative office of UNITAR among them and that the UN House in Doha would contribute to strengthening the co-operation between Qatar and the UN and enable the organisation to implement its initiatives and activities effectively in the region.HE al-Muftah expressed Qatar's aspiration for Doha to be the capital of multilateral international action, especially in light of the accelerated global and regional changes witnessed by the world today, which require doubled efforts to implement the goals and objectives for which the UN was established. She said that the relationship between the UNITAR and Qatari institutions has developed by signing a partnership agreement with the Doha-based Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center, a memorandum of cooperation with the International Centre for Sport Security, and a memorandum of understanding with Silatech organisation in the field of training youth for employment.She said that in early November, this partnership was crowned by signing an agreement to launch a postgraduate program with a master's degree in international affairs and public policy in co-operation between Lusail University and UNITAR institute and signing a memorandum of understanding between the UNITAR institute and the Doha-based Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) to launch the global initiative to train more than a thousand parliamentarian to work against corruption, which aims to consolidate the principles of justice and good governance through capacity building.HE al-Muftah explained that under this initiative, parliamentarians would be trained to activate anti-corruption legislation and work to enact new legislations by international best practices by organising training programmes in both Geneva and Doha, as well as passing a guidebook to train parliamentarians in various world countries on how to address the phenomenon of corruption. She expressed Qatar's aspiration to sustain the distinguished relationship and partnership that brings together the Qatari institutions and the UNITAR institute; stressing Qatar's determination as one of the active friends and reliable partners of the UN and UNITAR institute to work on developing this distinguished relationship for more future prospects and work together to implement programmes that will create innovative solutions to urgent international issues, in a way that meets our aspirations to serve humanity, and makes these partnerships a model for positive co-operation that would contribute to changing the lives of many people to the best.