New York/ Information Office/ 15 February 2016/ The State of Qatar has reiterated its support to all regional and international efforts aimed at addressing conditions conducive to extremism, and to continue working within the framework of the international community to find solutions to conflicts and promote human rights, the rule of law and the fight against corruption and impunity, as well as to support the right of peoples to self-determination on the basis of international law. It is important that the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposed action plan for preventing violent extremism grants special attention to young people and children as they are the target groups by extremist groups to achieve their ends, said Qatar's statement delivered by HE Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations before a General Assembly meeting that discussed 'Secretary-General's Proposed Action Plan for Preventing Violent Extremism': Culture of peace; The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy [items 16 and 117]. HE Ambassador Sheikha Alia underlined the gravity of children and young people neglect and not providing them with a healthy environment to develop their abilities as well as not involving them in charting their own future, stressing that Qatar made, in collaboration with a number of countries, efforts to highlight the issue of children and young people affected by violent extremism and crime, along with its efforts in prevention, re-rehabilitation and reintegration into society. In line with these efforts, Qatar, through Silatech foundation, is undertaking an important role in raising the awareness of young people in the Arab region on the seriousness of extremism and working to create job opportunities for them, while other efforts are under way to establish a partnership between the Silatech foundation and the relevant bodies of the United Nations to combat violent extremism and terrorism, she said. HE Ambassador Sheikha Alia also pointed to the need to instill and develop the spirit of tolerance and constructive dialogue at the national, regional and international levels. The statement reviewed Qatar's efforts in this regard, including the establishment of national institutions in charge of spreading the culture of dialogue and rejecting violence such as the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue that helped in pushing efforts to combat extremism and extend bridges of cooperation and understanding among followers of different religions, civilizations and cultures. Qatar has also established Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in 2014 with the aim of deepening the understanding of Islam and boosting international efforts to combat extremism and promote peaceful coexistence among religions. HE Ambassador Aliaa Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said handling violent extremism requires a set of effective measures in which politicians, religious leaders, the civil society and the media work together, noting that Qatar strives to back all regional and international efforts that aim to treat the circumstances that lead to terrorism and work within the international society to find solutions for conflicts, enhance human rights and the rule of law, combat impunity, and support the rights of peoples to self-determination in line with the international law. The statement reiterated Qatar's rejection of all forms of extremism and any attempt to point fingers at a certain religion country or race as being violently extremist or terrorist, adding that attempts to use individual acts of violence to associate extremism with a certain faith as seen in Islamophobia is not only misleading but also foils efforts to find and address the real reasons behind violence. In addition, the statement highlighted the risks of violent extremism and its threat to international peace and security and the damage it causes to sustainable development and how it violates human rights and undermines the rule of law, stressing that combating violent extremism will not be achieved without international cooperation and global strategy that takes into consideration its context and motives. Qatar's statement noted that violent extremism flourishes in environments where human rights are violated, the rule of law and accountability are missing and impunity is prevalent. The phenomenon is also widely present in societies suffering from exclusion, social marginalization, tyranny and lack of development, it added. It said that long-term unsolved conflicts and the policies of systematic killing and persecution contribute to fomenting extremism and provide pretexts for brainwashing youths and society segments whose rights are violated and, hence, lose hope and confidence in the ability of the international society to find a solution for these conflicts and support the rights of peoples to freedom, dignity and self-determination. At the end, Qatar reiterated its commitment as part of the international solidarity to face violent extremism and terrorism to tackle that challenge at the national and international levels, and interact with all international efforts to combat extremism and terrorism in all forms.