New York / Information Office / September 29  

The State of Qatar participated on Tuesday in the high-level annual ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, which was held in New York via videoconferencing on the sidelines of the 75th session of UN General Assembly, under the title "shaping a better world: building cohesive and inclusive societies in the COVID-19 environment."

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi represented the State of Qatar.

In his speech at the meeting, HE the State Minister said that there is no doubt that the unprecedented challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have affected all aspects of social, economic, and cultural life in all parts of the world.

He emphasized that, despite that, these challenges can provide many opportunities to reconsider the previous approach and to benefit and learn from experiences and mistakes.

HE the State Minister stressed the need to seize these opportunities to come up with innovative solutions to many of the dilemmas the world faced before the COVID-19 crisis, which unfortunately are currently exacerbated by this crisis.

His Excellency explained that during this phase full of unprecedented global events and challenges, it is imperative for the Group of Friends of UN Alliance of Civilizations, to intensify efforts to bring people, civilizations, and religions closer together, especially in light of the spread of fear, misinformation, and the growing divisions between societies.

He underlined the urgent need to stand together in unity and solidarity to build just, peaceful and inclusive societies. Since the current stage requires the highest level of international cooperation, the State of Qatar has spared no effort in providing aid and support to countries that do not have sufficient resources to combat the pandemic, and provided about USD89 million dollars to needy countries in the form of financial and in-kind assistance, as well as intensifying its efforts to prevent by mediation and reconciliation in light of this crisis, he explained.

HE the State Minister reiterated that the State of Qatar has spared no effort to support the Alliance to achieve its goals since its establishment in 2005, reaffirming the commitment of the State of Qatar to continue supporting the Alliance, especially in these difficult circumstances. He that Qatar's commitment has been embodied in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the State of Qatar and the UN Alliance of Civilizations in December 2019, according to which the State of Qatar will provide USD1.5 million in the period 2020-2022 to support the implementation of its programs and projects.

In this regard, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs praised the initiative of the Alliance announced by HE the High Representative in the field of prevention and mediation. His Excellency also announced that the State of Qatar will host a high-level global conference on comprehensive peace processes for youth in May 2021, the outputs of which will strengthen the Alliance's efforts in the field of mediation.