Qatar participated in the high-level ministerial side event to support the humanitarian response in Sudan and the region, on the margins of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater represented Qatar in the event.
Qatar participated in the organization of the event, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the European Union, and the African Union. In a remark before the event, HE AlKhater expressed her deep regret over the humanitarian and tragic consequences of the fighting that has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, which claimed lives of hundreds of defenseless civilians and led to displacement and migration of millions.
She reiterated Qatar's call on the parties to the conflict in Sudan to immediately halt fighting and fully cooperate to facilitate access of humanitarian assistance to the affected people and abide by the principles and items of the international humanitarian law.
The minister of state for international cooperation pointed to the session of talks held on Sept 7 between His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during which the firm position of Qatar towards supporting the unity, independence and territorial integrity of Sudan was affirmed, in addition to reaffirming Qatar's position that calls for immediate cessation of fighting and pursuit of dialogue and peaceful means, expressing Qatar's aspiration to the engagement of all political forces in broad negotiations after the permanent cessation of the military conflict to attain a comprehensive agreement and sustainable peace, as well as Qatar's appreciation for the regional and international efforts and good endeavours that aim to end conflict and achieve stability in Sudan.
HE AlKhater outlined that Qatar stands with its Sudanese brothers and considers this a deserved duty dictated by the requirements of fraternity and religion, whose humanitarian and development efforts have been continuing, in addition to Qatar's efforts in supporting stability, making, and building peace in Sudan. She pointed out that the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) signed in 2011, comes at the forefront of these efforts, in addition to Qatar's support for construction, development and peace-building projects in the Darfur region since 2013 with $500mn.
Since the breakout of the recent armed conflict on April 15, 2023, and the consequential humanitarian crisis, Qatar has taken the initiative to stand with Sudan and launched an air bridge to deliver humanitarian assistance to Sudanese brothers, where the cost of humanitarian assistance, amounting to nearly 371 tonnes in the first phase, amounted to more than $10mn, in addition to the evacuation of 1,855 people, including Sudanese residents in Qatar who were spending their vacations in their country when the war broke out until August 2023.
She noted the announcement made by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani to support the humanitarian response plan in Sudan during a pledging conference to announce the pledges held on Jun 19 and was co-chaired by Qatar with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Germany, to support the humanitarian response in Sudan and the region.
HE AlKhater expressed Qatar's regret over the increasing complexity of the humanitarian situation considering the escalation of the severity of the armed conflict, pointing out that this is evidently demonstrated in the updated reports of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
She said the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Sudan requires more urgent support and ample funding to bridge the gap of funding in the humanitarian response plan for Sudan, along with the regional plan for refugees. She stressed that it is necessary for all nations to live up to their pledges that were announced last June, adding that it is important to rapidly counter and contain the entire crisis to ensure that it does not exacerbate and spillover into Sudan's neighboring countries.
At the outset of the remark, HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation expressed Qatar's pride in co-sponsoring the high-level ministerial event, which is of utmost importance in the context of responding to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the sisterly Sudan and the region. (QNA)
