In a world rife with crises and conflicts and facing multiple challenges, Qatar stands out as a shining beacon of dialogue, mediation, and the promotion of peace, security, and stability around the world, thanks to the wise guidance and sound vision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.Under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir, Qatar has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the just causes of peoples and to providing necessary support to Arab and other countries worldwide. Its sustained humanitarian efforts have become a prominent feature at both regional and international levels, positioning Qatar as a model to be emulated in supporting just causes.Mediation and the peaceful resolution of conflicts have become core constants of Qatar’s foreign policy. This approach has earned the country a distinguished regional and international standing as a peace-making state, with its efforts achieving notable successes that have been widely praised by states, as well as international and United Nations organisations and bodies.Under the leadership of His Highness the Amir, Qatar has consistently raised the banners of peace, security, development, and prosperity, while calling for the preservation of human dignity across all regional and international platforms. It has worked to overcome obstacles and extinguish conflicts around the world, guided by the conviction that peace and stability are the shared aspiration of all peoples, that lasting peace is built on justice and dialogue rather than force, and that true security is achieved only when individuals feel dignity, safety, justice, and fairness.The speeches of the Amir on numerous occasions at the United Nations and in Arab, regional, and international forums have not been mere formal statements. They have carried sincere and powerful humanitarian messages, affirming that Qatar has been and will remain a source of relief for the needy, a supporter of the oppressed, an advocate of truth and justice, and a firm adherent to moral values. Through these positions, Qatar has presented to the world a bright model of a state that fosters security and safety, builds peace and hope, and strengthens bridges of dialogue, solidarity, and co-operation to achieve dignity and prosperity for all.Qatar has continued to work with its regional and international partners to bring conflicting parties to the negotiating table, seeking to establish the peace and security long desired by peoples who have suffered from wars and crises and borne their heavy consequences.In this context, the Amir has consistently participated in the annual meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, reaffirming Qatar’s commitment to mobilising all its efforts and capabilities to support global peace, security, stability, development, and prosperity.His Highness the Amir’s addresses to the General Assembly have offered insightful strategic visions, practical humanitarian initiatives, and realistic approaches to addressing many of the challenges facing the region and the world. They have emphasised dialogue and diplomacy as the most effective means to end wars and crises, with His Highness repeatedly stressing that while the path of peaceful conflict resolution may be long and demanding, it remains far less costly than war.On many occasions, the Amir has underscored that Qatar’s foreign policy rests on firm and stable principles that safeguard national interests, align with its values, reflect its Islamic, Arab, and Gulf identity, and honour its international obligations and partnerships in confronting global challenges for the benefit of all humanity.Qatar’s foreign policy is also grounded in political realism and a clear assessment of its capabilities. It adopts dialogue and preventive diplomacy, supports consensual political solutions, seeks the peaceful settlement of disputes, and undertakes mediation where possible, requiring flexibility and responsibility in fulfilling this role.Qatar’s regional and international efforts, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir, have contributed significantly to strengthening its global standing and associating its name with successful initiatives aimed at defusing crises and containing conflicts worldwide.For more than two years, Qatar has made intensive efforts, in co-ordination with regional and international partners, to halt the war in the Gaza Strip and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, mobilising its political and humanitarian resources to achieve sustainable solutions that ensure security and stability for Palestinians and the wider region.Recognising that instability knows no borders and that humanity’s destiny is interconnected, Qatar has also pursued diplomatic efforts to help resolve other crises, including the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and disputes in Africa and other regions.Qatar’s engagement in Africa has yielded tangible progress towards peace, notably through the signing of the Doha Framework Agreement for Peace between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congo River Alliance (March 23 Movement). This underscores Qatar’s enduring role as an active international partner committed to peaceful conflict resolution.The Doha Framework Agreement represents a significant achievement, building on the momentum of the Doha Declaration of Principles signed in July. It reaffirms both parties’ commitment to addressing root causes through structured dialogue, confidence-building measures, and gradual de-escalation, while emphasising civilian protection, human rights, the safe return of displaced persons, and national reconciliation.Qatari diplomacy has also played a key role in peace efforts in Darfur through the Doha Document for Peace, the hosting of the Lebanese National Dialogue, talks between the United States and the Afghan Taliban that led to a peace agreement, mediation among Chadian parties resulting in the Doha Agreement for Peace in Chad, and multiple initiatives involving Somalia, Kenya, and other states.Qatar’s mediation extends beyond conflict resolution to humanitarian assistance in disaster-affected and fragile regions, reflecting its belief in collective action to address shared global challenges, promote social development, combat poverty, expand employment opportunities, and safeguard human dignity for a more just and prosperous future.His Highness the Amir has repeatedly affirmed that Qatar will remain an active international partner and a supporter of social development, through aid, contributions, and sustained efforts to empower youth in the Middle East, offer hope and opportunity, and advance peace across the region.Despite persistent challenges and complexities, Qatar’s record remains rich with achievements in resolving regional and international crises and contributing to positive outcomes across the Arab world and beyond.

The leaders’ declaration adopted at the end of the recent G20 summit in South Africa reaffirmed the group’s commitment to tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from inequality and long-running conflicts to AI and climate change. It also marked a historic milestone: for the first time, the G20 identified education as one of its top global priorities.The declaration went on to highlight the urgent need to invest in children’s early development, pledging to “advance a comprehensive approach” that recognises investment in early childhood care and education (ECCE) as “vital... for a country’s social and economic future”.This recognition is long overdue. In a world marked by economic volatility, the most effective investments are those made in people, and few yield greater returns than supporting children in their first five or six years of life, when they develop the skills that underpin long-term growth, social cohesion, and peace.Today, we are failing far too many children before they even reach school age. Globally, more than 40% of preschool children – roughly 350mn – lack access to quality care. The result is a vast loss of human potential that holds back communities, economies, and societies.Early childhood, when 90% of brain development occurs, is a unique window for establishing the foundations of lifelong learning, health, and well-being. Decades of evidence show that every dollar invested in ECCE generates up to $17 in economic returns, helping to break cycles of poverty and reduce inequality. Expanding access to childcare also enables more women to enter and stay in the workforce, strengthening households and national economies alike.The UN already recognised the importance of investing in ECCE when it adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. This was reaffirmed in Unesco’s 2022 Tashkent Declaration, with more than 150 countries pledging to provide at least one year of free, compulsory pre-primary education for all children and to allocate at least 10% of their education budgets to preschool programmes.Despite these commitments, funding for early education remains woefully inadequate. In low- and middle-income countries, 180mn three- and four-year-olds still lack access to basic early-childhood services.International aid to preschool programmes accounts for less than 2% of total education aid, and many low-income countries devote less than 2% of their education budgets to ECCE.Against this discouraging backdrop, momentum for change is building, driven largely by major emerging economies within and beyond the G20. Early-childhood support was central to Brazil’s social-inclusion agenda during its G20 presidency, while the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in late 2024 signalled a broader push to tackle intergenerational inequities.Brazil has also introduced ambitious domestic measures. Earlier this year, it launched its National Integrated Policy for Early Childhood, which established a single national database to track children’s needs and support a unified strategy across all of the country’s 5,568 municipalities, featuring a massive data platform covering daycare availability, vaccination records, and developmental milestones.The recent G20 summit in Johannesburg – the first to be held in Africa – brought the scale and urgency of the problem into sharp focus. Childhood mortality rates across the continent remain 14 times higher than in high-income countries, and only one in four children in sub-Saharan Africa attends preschool. South Africa, which views investment in ECCE as a national priority, recently launched the largest early-years education programme in its history. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also used South Africa’s G20 presidency to frame early-childhood education as a global imperative and urge governments worldwide to invest in their youngest citizens.Mobilising the political will and financing needed to transform ECCE will require a sustained, co-ordinated multilateral effort. Over the past two years, Theirworld has championed this agenda through its Act for Early Years campaign, and the recent announcement of the world’s first international gathering devoted specifically to funding pre-primary education – initiated by a coalition of stakeholders from both the Global South and North – indicates that early childhood is finally receiving the attention it deserves.Looking ahead, the International Finance Summit for Early Childhood in 2027 offers a rare opportunity to raise new funding, redirect domestic investment, and unlock private capital. Crucially, it could demonstrate that investing in preschool education is not a secondary concern but a precondition for achieving the SDGs. One principle should guide the policy debates that will inevitably follow: putting children first is the surest route to a more prosperous, peaceful, and stable world. – Project Syndicate Justin van Fleet is President of Theirworld and CEO of the Global Business Coalition for Education. Pia Rebello Britto is Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development at Unicef.