New York - Information Office - October 08
The State of Qatar has reiterated its rejection and condemnation of using terrorism as an excuse to offend states and fabricate crises to achieve political goals that are inconsistent with the provisions of international law and constitute a violation of the United Nations Charter.
The State of Qatar has also reiterated its strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, and regardless of their motivation, stressing that terrorism constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
This came in a statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani during the Sixth Legal Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 75th session on the item entitled "Measures to eliminate terrorism."
Her Excellency said that in line with its firm policy in the field of counter-terrorism, the State of Qatar has not hesitated to provide support to the relevant UN institutions, noting that this support has always been a matter of pride as it is appreciated by the United Nations organs concerned with counter-terrorism.
HE reviewed the most prominent initiatives of the State of Qatar in support of activities related to counter-terrorism, as she said that the State of Qatar has made a contribution of $ 75 million over a period from 2019 to 2023 in support of the core resources of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). She also referred to the signing of an agreement in December 2019 in Doha between the State of Qatar and UNOCT to establish the International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Doha, as well as the signing of an agreement between the two sides, according to which the State of Qatar has provided a financial contribution mounting to $5 million in support for the Hub, which will be opened in Doha in the near future. The State of Qatar has also provided $ 250,000 to support the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), she added.
HE Sheikha Alya said in the statement that the State of Qatar continues to work within the framework of international organizations and platforms related to counter-terrorism, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), and it is an effective member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The State of Qatar, she said, is keen on the accurate and effective implementation of the international obligations issued by the Security Council in relation to counter-terrorism and its financing, whether by asset-freezing, travel bans or arms embargoes against all individuals and entities listed on the consolidated lists of Security Council's committees concerned with combating terrorism, as well as cooperation with Security Council's committees, expert teams and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, and the provision of support to the efforts of those organs in carrying out their mandate.
HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani also clarified that within the framework of the State of Qatar's continuous efforts to protect and enhance the role of educational institutions in facing extremism and terrorism, the UN General Assembly unanimously approved on May 29 Resolution No. 74/275 submitted by the State of Qatar to designate Sep. 9 as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. In addition to this this resolution, HE noted Qatar's initiative to hold General Assembly's meeting on the 'Prevention of Children and Young People from Violent Extremism' in June 2016.
In the same context, Her Excellency said that the State of Qatar is one of the founders of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), which attaches special importance to resisting the agendas of violent extremism and terrorism, pointing out that Qatar is considered one of the major contributor to this fund.
At the legislative level, a system for inclusion on terrorism lists and new rules defining terrorism and its financing and strengthening national legislation related to combating terrorism have been adopted, she said, noting that the Qatari national institutions related to counter-terrorism, namely the National Anti-Terrorism Committee and the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee, have made important achievements, and that the State of Qatar is one of the leading countries regionally, in achieving a high level of compliance with the standards of combating anti-money laundering and terrorist financing.
Her Excellency pointed out that combating terrorism requires more effective cooperation between Member States, and tireless work to expedite the achievement of the comprehensive agreement regarding international terrorism, stressing on the need for the agreement to include a specific definition of terrorism and not to link it to a specific religion, race or culture, as well as the need to distinguish between terrorism and legitimate resistance to foreign occupation, self-defense and the right to self-determination for peoples under occupation.
HE the Ambassador expressed the State of Qatar's great appreciation for the great tasks entrusted to the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, which is carrying out a distinguished task to implement its mandate, affirming the State of Qatar's keenness to provide support to enable it to carry out its mandate in the best way.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani renewed Qatar's commitment to work with the relevant UN and international institutions to combat terrorism, and to support all international efforts to eradicate this threat and address the root causes of terrorism, in a way that contributes to maintaining international peace and security.