The State of Qatar affirmed its commitment to support the work of the United Nations and the importance of international cooperation to confront the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the unilateral measures it is facing that impede international cooperation and coordination under the umbrella of international and regional organizations.

The State of Qatar stressed the need to address various dimensions in the framework of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, calling for the response to be integrated and coordinated and to be based on a peacekeeping perspective.

This came in a statement delivered by HE the State of Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before the UN Security Council, which held a virtual meeting on "Pandemics and the Challenges of Sustaining Peace."

Her Excellency reviewed the steps and measures taken by the State of Qatar to respond to the Covid-19 crisis since the beginning at the local level, pointing to the precautionary measures and the harnessing of necessary resources to enhance health care, as well as the adoption of other measures to reduce the effects of the disease, such as developing distance learning methods for students schools closed.

HE the Ambassador said explained that these measures were coupled at the national level with unremitting efforts at the international level, including the provision of urgent financial and in-kind assistance to help address the threat of the pandemic.

She pointed out that the State of Qatar continues its efforts to support sustainable development, noting that the State has taken into account that paying attention to the Coronavirus crisis has contributed to distracting attention from priority issues at a time when attention is most needed more than ever before, especially for the effective response to the Coronavirus and its impacts.

HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN said that the burden of Covid-19 crisis is double on countries and societies affected by conflicts, countries in transition and post-conflict countries, referring to the fragility of these countries' economies, the deterioration of their health systems, humanitarian crises, and the social, security and logistical challenges that complicate and hinder preventive and remedial measures to confront the virus and its effects.

HE the Ambassador continued to say that in light of these multifaceted threats posed by the pandemic, the minimum thing that should be done is to put an end to armed conflicts and silence the guns in order to direct all efforts and energies towards fighting the common enemy, which is the Coronavirus.

HE warned that the spread of the pandemic would lead to the loss of peacebuilding gains, stressing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's call for a comprehensive ceasefire and the contents of Security Council Resolution 2532 (2020).

Given the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic on building and maintaining peace, HE said that the UN Security Council as well as the UN Peacebuilding Commission must play an important role in an integrated and coordinated response. She also noted the importance of tasks performed by peacekeeping operations to support peacebuilding efforts, ensuring their continuity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this context, HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said that the State of Qatar, out of its recognition of the importance of continuous work of the international organization in these circumstances, facilitated the movement of United Nations personnel to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the work of peacekeeping missions.

Since the beginning of this year, the crisis caused by the spread of Covid-19 has been at the top of the concerns of countries and societies around the world, HE said, adding that the pandemic has become among the concerns of the United Nations, including the Security Council, not only because of the impact of the disease on those infected with it, but also because its effects extend to everyone in all parts of the world.

Her Excellency also warned of the complex and intertwined impacts of the pandemic in various security, economic, social and developmental aspects and of the long-term effects on peace and its sustainability.

HE indicated that it is not feasible in the context of building and maintaining peace to be restricted to security aspects, rather, the social, economic, political and developmental dimensions of the crises must be addressed.

HE also stressed the need to address various dimensions in the framework of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, provided that the response is integrated and coordinated and based on peacekeeping perspective, not just the health aspect.

Her Excellency stressed that the Coronavirus is a global threat, stressing the importance of a joint international effort to address this pandemic. She drew attention to the important role of the United Nations, its agencies and programs in coordinating efforts to address the spread of the virus and the effects it causes on the sustainability of peace and development.

In conclusion, HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani affirmed the commitment of the State of Qatar to support the work of the United Nations and the importance of international and regional cooperation despite the unilateral measures it is facing that hinder this cooperation and coordination under international and regional organizations. HE said that what everyone needs in light of these exceptional circumstances is the necessity to harness all efforts and energies to confront the Coronavirus and other global threats to security, peace and stability for all without discrimination.