New York - information office - November 19

The State of Qatar has renewed its commitment to continue supporting the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and promoting dialogue, cooperation and harmony among religions, civilizations and cultures. Qatar also renewed its support for efforts exerted to achieve the goals of the Alliance, lauding the important achievements it has made in the past five years and expressing deep gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding role played by the Group of Friends of the UN Alliance of Civilizations.

This came on Monday in the statement delivered by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi before the Global Forum of the UNAOC held at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

HE Al Muraikhi said that holding this forum is particularly important in view of the increasing manifestations of extremism and tension in many regions of the world, which requires intensifying efforts and initiatives to consolidate the values of tolerance and cooperation, combat extremism and terrorism and provide the necessary environment for the stability and peace sought by the international community".

He said that, since its inception, the UNAOC has played a very important role in addressing the risks posed by the rise of ideas that undermine human values and threaten the peace and stability of the world. The UNAOC was leading in making initiatives and participating in UN efforts to promote the culture of peace, dialogue, understanding and cooperation between faiths, cultures and societies, he added.

HE the Minister of State expressed the State of Qatar's satisfaction and appreciation for the various and important activities carried by the Alliance with the UN, its Member States and other civil society organizations.

In this context HE Al Muraikhi referred to the report of the High Representative of the UNAOC on the strategic plan for the years 2013-2015, explaining that the diversity of the Alliance's activities confirms the size of the tasks it carries, and stressing the need to provide adequate financial and human resources to meet the challenges outlined by the High Representative in his report so that the Alliance could continue its role and achieve its lofty goals.

He went saying that the State of Qatar views the Alliance as a mechanism that harmonizes with one of the most important pillars of the State of Qatar's policy, which is promoting the values of diversity, respect for human rights, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation among faiths, cultures and societies, peaceful settlement of disputes and the promotion of the rule of law at the international and national levels. He pointed that the State of Qatar is hosting more than two million people from different religions and cultures and come from different regions of the world, who live in harmony with the people of Qatar, and seen as a source of wealth for the community.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stated that the State of Qatar has been supporting the Alliance, its initiatives and projects since its establishment, noting that Doha hosted the Fourth Global Forum of the Alliance, believing in the importance of establishing the pillars of world peace and promoting respect for human rights. He also pointed out that the State of Qatar has established institutions to promote the culture of peace, promote freedom of religion, belief and opinion, combat extremism and renounce violence, particularly the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and the Qatari Committee for the Alliance of Civilization.

He said that the State of Qatar had spearheaded the international efforts to establish the UNAOC to report progress towards the achievement of the sixteenth goal of the United Nations Plan for Sustainable Development, which aimed at creating inclusive societies that enjoyed peace and justice.

He stressed that education is one of the cornerstones of spreading common human values and combating extremism and terrorism, pointing in this regard to the many initiatives that Qatar has made to provide education in the areas of conflict.

His Excellency noted the outstanding results achieved by the programs and initiatives carried out by the "Education Above All Foundation" sponsored by HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, pointing out to the "Education Above All" initiative in partnership with UNICEF and more than 80 global partners, has been able to provide quality education for 10 million school-deprived children in more than 50 countries around the world.

He also noted that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, announced in September that the State of Qatar had pledged to provide quality education by 2021 to 1 million girls in the context of conflict and fragile conditions in cooperation with Canada.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs expressed Qatar's aspiration to invest its hosting of the 2022 Cup to promote communication and rapprochement between cultures and peoples.

At the end of his statement, HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi expressed hope that the Forum would produce results and recommendations that constitute a qualitative addition to the efforts for achieving the Alliance's goals and to build effective partnerships among all governments, civil society organizations and aspiring peoples and achieve international peace and security, reiterating Qatar's continued to support the United Nations Alliance for Civilizations and to promoting dialogue, cooperation and harmony among faiths, civilizations and cultures.