* Amir opens Doha Forum 2019


The sources of defects that prompted many people to lose faith in the efficacy of the existing global systems and mechanisms, including double standard, must be addressed, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has stressed.

He made the observation while delivering a speech at the opening of Doha Forum 2019 on Saturday.

The Amir opened the forum, which is being held under the theme 'Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World' at Sheraton Doha, in the presence of a large number of leaders from around the world and other dignitaries.

The opening session was attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Ecuador Vice-President Otto Sonnenholzner, chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj; Somalia Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne and UN General Assembly president Tijjani Mohamed-Bande.








The opening session was also attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, several ministers, intellectuals in the fields politics, economics, energy, media, culture, representatives of international institutions and civil society organisations, a large number of diplomats from various missions in the country and other dignitaries.

"I welcome you all to the Doha Forum, the platform we launched 19 years ago for dialogue and exchange of ideas," he said. "At that stage, discourse about a better future for humanity started when the two camps system and the Cold War had come to an end, and then talk about the Millennium Goals, followed by the Sustainable Development Goals has become possible, and hence the world and our forward-looking to its future seemed more optimistic.

"The concepts of international community, international legitimacy, joint responsibility and multilateral action were on the rise. Yet, where are we today from all this?

"The balance has been tipped in favour of the visions sceptical of the importance of the joint responsibility and international law as a universal reference, which in turn gave way to invoking the law of force in the international scene rather than working to strengthen the power of law.

"The sources of defects that prompted many people to lose faith in the efficacy of the existing global systems and mechanisms, including double standard, must be addressed. Sincere efforts should also be intensified in propounding new visualisations for the next stage, especially after the consequences of abandoning the international legitimacy and law emerged in more than one place, including our region. This matter was the focus of this year's Doha Forum report, under the theme 'Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World'."

His Highness the Amir said it was not yet clear whether what has happened since that stage is a transition from unipolarism to multipolarism, or a state of fragmentation and an attempt by major powers to disavow their duties and responsibilities.

“The common international vision that appeared to be clear at the beginning of the new millennium has blurred, whether from the perspective of the international legitimacy, issues of poverty, environment and climate or from not holding war criminals accountable. However, the problems and challenges have remained in place as they are and the environment and climate problems are exacerbating, and the issue of chronic poverty in vast areas across the world has not been solved, likewise the issue of occupation and annexation of others’ land by force,” he noted.

The problems cannot be solved without co-ordinated international efforts and shared visions, and likewise the issues of violent extremism, which is not restricted to a religion or a race, and which is indiscriminate in targeting the innocent and making no distinction based on gender, racial or religious grounds, he added.

"We, in Qatar, have committed ourselves not to just criticise this situation but rather try to contribute to answering these questions, even if only partially. In addition to our policies, which are based on respecting the international law and international legitimacy and contributing to solving conflicts peacefully through mediation and providing a space for dialogue, we have also established platforms such as the Doha Forum and the Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, which we launched 16 years ago for building dialogue bridges," the Amir said.

He also referred to some of the contributions that Qatar has made recently such as the the allocation of $100mn to small island states to cope with climate change; a pledge to provide education to 1mn young girls in conflict areas by the year 2021; Education Above All Foundation to provide education to 10mn children in conflict areas around the world; Qatar Fund for Development contributing around $600mn annually to relief, educational and health projects in about 59 countries as well as Qatar Charity’s contribution of about $400mn to development projects for the benefit of about 10mn people in 50 countries. - Full text of Amir's speech on Page 30

During the ceremony, the Amir honoured Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed for his accomplishments.

"There is no doubt that there are many difficult challenges that humankind is going through, but there are also an abundance of goodness, beneficence, sincerity, determination and innovation that can be relied upon. So, we must all commemorate goodness and human achievements wherever they are found," said the Amir. "It is precisely for this purpose that I am pleased today to initiate a new tradition of honouring a global personage in this forum."


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