Qatar spells out importance of technology in modern society

Qatar has stressed the importance of creating a favourable environmentfor encouraging science, innovation and dissemination of technologies,and for promoting access to all Information and CommunicationsTechnology’s (ICT) services for the benefit of all sectors of society,especially women, youth and children. This came in a statement delivered by the Third Secretary of thePermanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, AhmedSeif al-Kuwari, befo 1:09:53 AMre the Second Committee of the UN General Assemblyon item 16: ‘Information and Communications Technologies forDevelopment.’The meeting reflects the continued interest of the internationalcommunity in the ICT as a central element in achieving the of the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and a unique opportunity todevelop communities, eradicate poverty and promote the three pillars ofthe Sustainable Development so as no one is left behind. Aslo, it pointed out that the Sustainable Development plan and the AddisAbaba Action Agenda have paid attention to the issue of ICT and itsrole in stimulating economic growth and sustainable development.Qatar pays particular attention to taking advantage of the enormouspotential of ICT services and the investment in them, and views them asessential elements for moving towards sustainable development, al-Kuwarisaid in the statement. In this context, the statement added, Qatar hastaken great strides in building an ICT sector that benefits all sectionsof the society, pointing out that the Ministry of Information andCommunications Technology (ictQATAR) plays an important role in thisfield. It (ictQATAR), among many other issues, conducts annual studies tomeasure progress made in its overall ICT goals and formulates relevantpolicies and programmes as well as expand the provision of advancedservices on the Internet.Moreover, the statement said that Qatar Science and Technology Park(QSTP) is part of the research and development wing at Qatar Foundationfor Education, Science, and Community Development and is the mainplatform for technology development’s projects that seeks to supportresearch, innovation and pioneering spirit. The statement also referred to Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada),which is a non-profit organisation striving to empower and enablepeople with disabilities through Information and CommunicationTechnology and enable them to communicate, learn life skills and engagein education and work. Furthermore, the statement highlighted that the recognition of theimportance of ICT has been reflected in the classification of Qataramong the first states in the world on various indicators mentioned inthe World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2016, asit ranked third in the world in the laws relating to ICTs.The statement warned that the cybercrimes and piracy constitute a largepercentage of the crimes that threaten international peace and securityand raise serious concern among the international community. Thisphenomenon, the statement said, must be dealt with in a mannercommensurate with its seriousness and that measures should be taken notonly by banning and punishing those involved in piracy for political orpersonal gain, but dealing with it as a major source of threat tointernational peace and security. In the same context, information obtained through piracy must beprohibited and considered to be of no legal value, and therefore thestates affected by cybercrimes have the right to obtain their rightsunder international law, according to the statement.In conclusion, the statement said that the State of Qatar is subjectedto unilateral illegal measures that were premeditated with cybercrime toachieve political objectives that violate the principles ofinternational law, international relations and human rights. It stressed that the misuse of information technology to achievepolitical objectives, impose illegal measures against states and violatetheir sovereignty, impose guardianship and intervene in their internalaffairs are flagrant violations of international law. Such illegal practices harm the states that are subjected to arbitrarymeasures, violate the rights of their people and national security, anddistort their image, which requires the international community to standup against these violations.