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Qatar Foundation's (QF) BilAraby initiative participated in the 'Al Sharq Youth 9th International Conference 2025', marking a further step in expanding its regional engagement and reinforcing its role as a platform for Arabic language knowledge, creativity, and innovation.BilAraby’s participation builds on its ongoing partnership with the Al Sharq Forum and reflects its role as a cultural and intellectual bridge connecting people and ideas within an authentic cultural framework.The conference recently took place in Istanbul under the theme ‘Tashkil Al Sharq: From Vision to Action’. BilAraby’s participation represented its second regional milestone, following its involvement in the Misk Global Forum in Saudi Arabia last month.Dr Said Ismail, professor of genomics at Hamad Bin Khalifa University ( HBKU) and BilAraby spokesperson, said: “Our presence at the conference sought to expand the impact of BilAraby and to introduce the initiative to creative Arab youth, whose engagement was strongly evident throughout the event.“The sessions we delivered served as an invitation for young people to contemplate locally driven solutions to the challenges confronting our societies, positioning our presence as a further step toward empowering youth through their language and creative capacities.”BilAraby’s involvement in the conference was structured around two main sessions designed to enrich intellectual dialogue. The first session, titled ‘The Future of the East in Its Roots’, was moderated by Hisham Nourin, executive director, Strategic Initiatives and Programmes at QF, and featured Dr Ismail and Mohamad Ali Bahri, Arabic language coordinator at HBKU.The second session brought together the BilAraby team, speakers, and strategic partners in a roundtable under the theme ‘The East Between Globalisation and Cultural Particularity’, which centred on a pivotal question: can the East redefine itself while preserving its identity? The session witnessed active participation and drew a large audience of youth from across the Arab world. 

The joint statement issued by the Co-Chairs of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.The statement, issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France as co-chairs of the conference, commended "States who gathered at the United Nations in New York on the 22nd of September 2025 at a historically critical moment for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East."It noted that the High-Level International Conference led to the adoption of the New York Declaration endorsed by the General Assembly with an outstanding majority of 142 votes, adding that this ambitious declaration reaffirms the unwavering international commitment to the Two-State solution and charts an irreversible pathway to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region.The Statement also noted that the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate with the intensification of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza City, and with civilians and hostages paying an unjustifiable price due to the ongoing war. The New York Declaration aims at providing a principled, yet realistic alternative to the cycle of violence and endless wars, it emphasized.It called on all countries to swiftly implement the New York declaration through tangible, concrete and irreversible measures. "We welcome the important commitments and measures already taken by UN Member States. We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Denmark, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, alongside France, confirmed at the United Nations' General Assembly. We invite states which have not done so to join this movement," the statement said."Ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the release of all hostages remains our absolute priority. We call for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, exchange of prisoners, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza," it stressed.The statement also explained that to secure the Day After for Palestinians and Israelis, both countries commit to supporting the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority, to be mandated by the UN Security Council, in line with the New York Declaration. Meanwhile, they commit to scaling up their support to train and equip Palestinian police and security forces, building on existing programs, including USSC, EUPOLCOPPS and EUBAM Rafah.The statement stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, adding that this Conference, and the recognition of Palestine, aims at the realization of a sovereign, democratic and economically viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel. It commended the historic commitments made by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reform the governance structure of the Palestinian Authority.It also welcomed the launching of the Emergency Coalition for Palestine to mobilize emergency budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority, calling on all States and international organizations to join this effort. "We reiterate our call for the immediate release by Israel of withheld Palestinian tax revenues," it added."We urge the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, and to issue a clear public commitment to the Two-State solution, immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, halt all settlement, land grabs, and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and put an end to settlers' violence. As a first step, we urge Israel to rescind the E1 project, and publicly renounce any annexation project. We reiterate that any form of annexation is a redline for the international community that bears serious consequences and constitutes a direct risk to existing and future peace agreements," the statement said.It welcomed concrete measures taken by Member States to respond to unilateral measures against the Two-State solution and to violations of international law until Israel puts an end to actions that are endangering the Two-State solution, in full compliance with international law.Finally, it affirmed that ending the Israeli occupation and achieving just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the relevant UN resolutions, is the only way to achieve full regional integration, as provided for in the Arab Peace initiative. It reiterated the call for all States to join this international momentum to ensure peace and security for all in the Middle East, mutual recognition and full regional integration.