Qatar Reiterates Firm Stance in Condemning Terrorism in All Its Forms, Manifestations

Qatar Reiterates Firm Stance in Condemning Terrorism in All Its Forms, Manifestations

Geneva /Information Office / 02 March 2015/ Qatar has reiterated its firm stance in condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and whatever its cause and motives, stressing that the fight against terrorism must be through a comprehensive plan and coordinated international actions to address the root causes of terrorism. It added that the scourge of terrorism and extremism arises and spreads out of poverty, tyranny, oppression and repression, pointing out that these causes must be taken into account in the fight against this scourge which cannot be eradicated through the military solution alone. This came in a speech delivered by HE Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani before the High Level Segment of the Twenty Eighth Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva today. The efforts of the State of Qatar to address this phenomenon cannot be dissociated from the international community's efforts, HE Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs said, adding that Qatar launched initiatives and supported a number of international mechanisms in combating this phenomenon, in addition to supporting development projects and programs aimed at poor communities and unemployment problems in many countries. His Excellency pointed to Qatar's pledge to support "the Global Fund on Community Engagement and Resilience," with $ 5 million, adding that this fund is regarded as the newest international mechanism in combating terrorism by eliminating its root causes. HE Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs also underlined Qatar's initiatives, which include "Protecting Education in Insecurity and Armed Conflict" program and the "Educate a Child" initiative. His Excellency said that Qatar was committed to protecting and promoting human rights, as illustrated by the adoption of Qatar National Vision 2030, which embraced key human rights themes in the areas of education, health, environment, women’s empowerment and the rights of the child. He also expressed Qatar's appreciation for the role played by expatriate workers for the development of the State, adding that Qatar is taking more measures to further enhance and protect the worker rights. He also expressed Qatar's deep concerns about Islamophobia and contempt for religious symbols around the world, and called for further efforts to combat religious intolerance. Qatar urged the Council to give due consideration to the report of the commission of inquiry on human rights violations perpetrated in the Gaza strip with a view to put an end to human rights violations against the Palestinian people, His Excellency said, adding that Qatar was also deeply concerned about the situation in Syria and the coup d'etat against the legitimate government in Yemen as well as concerned about the situation in Libya. HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said it is time the Conference on Disarmament reviewed the expansion of its membership to be more representative and democratic to go in line with its rules of procedure regarding the periodical membership of the conference. He added that Qatar expressed interest in joining the Conference on Disarmament as a member and submitted a request to the conference's general secretariat in June 2012 out of its belief in the importance of the event in forging significant agreements in the field of disarmament. He also called on member states to overcome political differences and appoint a special rapporteur on the expansion of membership. He also praised the efforts of the Czech Republic's permanent delegation as a coordinator for the non-official observer states and welcomed Latvia as the new coordinator in cooperation with Portugal. He noted that one of the main reasons of the lack of security and political stability in the Middle East is Israel's refusal to join the effort to establish a nuclear weapon-free zone and its rejection to join NPT. Concluding his remarks, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman reiterated Qatar's keenness and commitment to supporting disarmament negotiations and the implementation of its commitments in this regard as well as continuing its efforts and stances to preserve international peace and security, and protect the humanity from the devastating effects of lethal weapons.