* PM attends concluding session of the forum


The 19th edition of the Doha Forum 2019 concluded on Sunday evening.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani attended the conclusion of the forum, which was held at Sheraton Doha under the theme 'Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World'.

The closing ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies, ministers, senior officials from Arab and foreign countries, and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar.

The two-day forum, which is a global platform for dialogue, was held in the presence of opinion leaders and policymakers from around the globe, to discuss the challenges facing the world and put forward applicable innovative solutions.

The forum was attended by nearly 3,000 decision-makers, policy experts and thought leaders and included more than 250 speakers. It also hosted a series of interviews and meetings on various points of view, which are broadcast throughout the year through the forum's website.

The closing session witnessed a speech by Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif, in which he stressed the importance of the Doha Forum in providing a unique opportunity to reflect on ways to "get us out of the impasse in the region".

He spoke of what he called the "perceptual turmoil" that deludes a person to benefit at the expense of his neighbour and that his security is based on chaos among others, and he indicated the disparity of powers and their disastrous consequences.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of dialogue, respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, rejection of force and methods of repression, and agreement on work teams to find solutions and establish co-operation and draw a road map for the future with the establishment of areas free of weapons of destruction, confidence-building between countries, water management, nuclear safety and freedom of maritime navigation.

He affirmed at the conclusion of his speech that the world has the opportunity to change course once and for all to improve people's lives and enhance future generations, calling for seizing this opportunity.

After his speech, Doha Forum celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations (UN) by holding a session addressed by the President of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Mohamed-Bande and Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and a number of UN officials and organisations of public benefit.

Speakers noted that the United Nations, despite its crises and criticism, is a symbol of pluralism and is the basis on which the world rests on many issues that threaten humanity. It intervened to resolve conflicts and established many important principles for humanity, and promoted people's awareness of climate change and environmental issues, ending slavery, empowering women and people with disabilities, and protecting children.

They stressed the importance of involving youth and women in achieving development goals and promoting pluralism and social inclusion through co-operation with civil society organisations and the private sector to put an end to what drives people to migrate and be displaced.

They emphasised that the United Nations is present everywhere in the world, especially the troubled ones, and the places of wars and disputes take risks to bring about change and play fundamental roles in stopping wars, reducing conflicts, reconnecting and interconnecting people.

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, then gave a speech in which he said the "civilisation in which we live has fulfilled three basic criteria that allow humanity to reform all fundamental problems. These are globalisation, interconnectedness through the Internet and production.

He added that the riches in the world are sufficient to stop climate change and all the conflicts around the world and provide a decent life for all, noting that "the world is now globalised and connected, more productive than its consumption capacity, so we are obligated to create a world that civilisations dream about and generations enjoy in the future, but if we want that".