New York - information office - November 21

The State of Qatar commended HE Nassir bin Abdulaziz Al Nasser, High Representative of the United Nations Alliance for Civilizations (UNAOC), for the hard and distinguished work he has done during the past six years. It also expressed its appreciation for the valuable efforts of the Group of Friends of UNAOC towards achieving the objectives of the Alliance.

This came in the statement delivered by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi before the UNAOC Group of Friends Meeting, which was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the 8th Global Forum of the UNAOC.

HE Al Muraikhi, who chaired the State of Qatar's delegation to the forum, reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to continue working with the Group of Friends to promote peace and security in the world. He said that in the face of the increasing challenges to world peace, the Group of Friends has played a proud role, since its foundation, to support all efforts and initiatives to promote tolerance, dialogue, and cooperation among civilizations, religions, and cultures, in addition, it has spared no effort to support the UNAOC projects to achieve its objectives.

HE Al Muraikhi added that the keenness of Member States of the Group of Friends of UNAOC to participate in UNAOC eight forums, and the latest of which is the 8th Global Forum of the UNAOC, affirms the commitment of the group to confront the growing manifestations of extremism, intolerance and hate speech as a threat to world peace and peaceful coexistence among religions, cultures and civilizations.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the meeting of the Group of Friends would send a new message to ensure that the noble objectives of UNAOC would be carried forward, stressing the importance of holding UNAOC forums because they bear a very clear significance as the main and vital place to push for a safer and more tolerant world and to build a human society with values of justice, equality, and respect for human rights.

HE the Minister appealed to all Member States to achieve the objectives of UNAOC, namely, to promote rapprochement among civilizations, to reduce tensions among followers of religions, cultures, and civilizations, and to increase their contribution to raising the UNAOC ability to carry out its mission as required.

He also stressed the importance of integrating the UNAOC issues into the educational curricula of countries, intensifying meetings between representatives of religions and intellectual and youth elites, and encouraging constructive dialogue and openness to other cultures, as well as the effective role of media in correcting stereotypes of peoples, civilizations and religions.

HE Al Muraikhi reiterated the State of Qatar's full support for the priorities set by the High Representative of UNAOC, especially with regard to further efforts to achieve the goals of education, youth, information, media and migration and to strengthen partnerships and cooperation within and outside the United Nations.

HE the Minister stressed that the size of the activities and tasks carried out by UNAOC requires the provision of sufficient financial and human resources to meet the challenges, and enable UNAOC to continue its role and the implementation of its mandate.

HE Al Muraikhi said that in line with the policy of the State of Qatar, which is known for its active and effective contributions to the promotion of international peace and security as well as its diplomatic relations characterized by openness, cooperation and respect for international law, it will continue to support UNAOC's mission, initiatives and projects, and coordinate with the Group of Friends to promote the values of peace and tolerance among communities, peoples and nations, in order to achieve the common goal of renouncing violence, extremism and terrorism in addition to promoting harmony among religions, civilizations and cultures.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs hailed the UN Secretary-General appointment of Former Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos as the High Representative for UNAOC to succeed HE Nassir bin Abdulaziz Al Nasser. The State of Qatar will support the UNAOC's new High Representative to succeed in his mission, HE Al Muraikhi stated.

For his part, High Representative of UNAOC HE Nassir bin Abdulaziz Al Nasser lauded the great support of the State of Qatar for UNAOC programs and said, "At the outset, I wish to extend my gratitude for the long-standing financial support from my country, the State of Qatar, under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani."

HE Al Nasser added, "My special thanks go to HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, for her unwavering commitment and support since the UNAOC's inception."

In his speech at the 8th Global Forum of the UNAOC, High Representative of UNAOC thanked the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his support of UNAOC since the beginning of its mandate, expressing appreciation to the co-sponsors of the UNAOC (the Governments of Spain and Turkey), for the ongoing support, both political and financial.

HE Al Nasser added, "I also praise the stewardship of former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who always had UNAOC in his heart and was always keen on actively participating in all our previous Global Forums."

High Representative of UNAOC said, "Every era experiences its unique set of challenges and tribulations. Last week, we paused to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. Nine million combatants and seven million civilians perished as a direct consequence of the war."

"Tragically, the world found itself at war again. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that many of the challenges we face today are not so different from those faced by our founders. Seven decades after the entry into force of the United Nations Charter, millions have been killed and displaced as a result of war and conflict," he added.

"Racism and xenophobia are on the march. We are witnessing a resurgence of hate and intolerance, in which migrants and refugees face the brunt of discriminatory and exclusionary policies," HE Al Nasser said, adding, "Terrorist organizations and violent extremists have exploited these tensions, unleashing a barbarism that will forever mark the first two decades of the twenty-first century."

"In too many corners of the world, human rights are in jeopardy. And the space for civil society has been shrinking in exactly the places that need it the most. In this current context, we need to face identity-based tensions squarely and honestly," HE Al Nasser stated.

High Representative of UNAOC said, "The pioneers of the Alliance were as determined as the United Nations founders in re-imagining a world, where nations would cooperate rather than clash; where mutual respect and understanding would replace fear and suspicion." He urged all members to remain steadfast in their pursuit of this commitment.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked HE Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser on the occasion of the end of his term as High Representative of UNAOC. He appointed Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain as the High Representative of UNAOC, from January 1, 2019.