HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud has reaffirmed that Qatar, under the leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has been demanding the discussion of the root causes of the world’s problems to find solutions to them.
In his speech at the opening session of the 14th session of the Conference of Union of Councils of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Member States in Morocco, HE al-Mahmoud said that Qatar believes that respect for human values and safeguarding the rights of peoples will make the region safe and will be conducive to growth and development, thus achieving security and peace for Islamic countries and the Muslim people.
He pointed out that Qatar, within its contribution to achieving security and peace in the Islamic countries and worldwide, has undertaken numerous initiatives in the field of education to provide millions of opportunities for girls and boys. 
The state is providing education for 1mn girls as part of a plan to educate 5mn girls in conflict zones as well as providing more than 1mn jobs for young people outside Qatar to prevent them from getting involved in violence or resorting to illegal migration.
He also pointed out that Qatar has launched a special fund to cover the cost of the return of migrants from Libya to their countries of origin and their integration into public life in their countries in accordance with an agreement with the African Union Commission and the United Nations.
In this context, the Speaker of the Advisory Council called on all parliaments of member states of the OIC to give this issue the utmost importance, because not embracing these young people and providing them with a decent life would be a waste of their energies and a serious threat to stability in their countries.
He also reiterated that Qatar remains steadfast in its firm position towards the Palestinian issue based on the resolutions of the international legitimacy of ensuring Palestinian rights and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, as the first Arab and Muslim issue.
He reiterated his support for all the initiatives taken by the Union to protect Muslim minorities, especially the Rohingyas in Myanmar, and called for the restoration of their legitimate rights and the punishment of the perpetrators of their massacres.
He also called for the protection of Syrian refugees and the displaced who for many years have been suffering from the scourge of war.
HE al-Mahmoud said the ongoing conference is being held in light of the tensions witnessed by a number of Arab and Islamic countries and amidst an escalation that threatens a new explosion of the situation in the occupied territories.
He stressed that the moral duty requires that this issue be given utmost attention and that all efforts be channelled to find ways to support it, calling for the formation of an international committee to investigate the crimes of the occupying entity.
HE al-Mahmoud also pointed out that a number of Islamic countries face many challenges today, including low rates of growth, unemployment, illiteracy, displacement, migration and instability.
Millions of Muslims are subjected to various forms of injustice and oppression either because of persecution or because of wars.
The images of their suffering are highlighted in the media, reflecting the injustice that further destabilise the region and exacerbate wars and foreign interventions.
“In order to get out of this vicious circle, our strategy must focus on the people, especially the young people, and jobs and a decent life must be provided so that they can live in an atmosphere of stability, security and peace”, he said.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to maintain international security and peace, resolve disputes by peaceful means and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries and non-recourse to the threat or use of force except in accordance with UN resolutions.
He pointed out that the city of Doha was recently selected by the OIC’s Islamic Co-operation Youth Forum as capital of the Islamic Youth in 2019 after the city of Jerusalem, which was the capital of Islamic youth in 2018.
In his speech, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council invited the participants in the conference to participate in the work of the 140th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the accompanying meetings to be hosted by the State of Qatar from April 6 to 10.
He called for active participation in the meetings of the General Assembly in order to present issues of interest to the Islamic group and support them in those meetings, looking forward to meeting them soon in Qatar, a country of peace and security.
At the outset of his speech, HE the speaker of the Shura Council expressed his sincere thanks to the Moroccan government and people, especially King Mohamed VI of Morocco, for sponsoring this conference and hosting the 14th session of the Conference of Union of Councils of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States.
He also expressed his thanks to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco, Habib El Malki, and to the members of the House of Representatives and to the Chairman of the Council of Counsellors, Abdel Hakim bin Shammas, members of the Council of Counsellors and the Secretariat of the Council of the OIC Member States for their kind invitation and good preparation for this important session.
He also thanked Dr Ali Larijani, president of the previous session of the Union and Chairman of the Advisory Council of Iran, for his efforts in the previous session, wishing the current session under the chairmanship of Habib El Malki success in its work and in taking decisions in the interest of Islamic issues and joint Islamic action.