Qatar to build sustainable knowledge-based economy: PM

Qatar participated Sunday in the "Summit of the Future," held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani led Qatar's delegation during the summit.Delivering Qatar's statement before the summit, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Qatar, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, launched in 2024 the third phase of its national development strategy within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030, keen to build a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy by benefiting from the applications of digital technology, science and innovation, and enhancing human development. He noted that it has achieved remarkable successes on the ground, reflecting the effectiveness of the state's strategic choices.He also emphasized Qatar's commitment to international multilateral action. In this regard, he referred to His Highness the Amir's pledge of $500mn to support the core resources of UN agencies for ten years, Qatar's announcement during the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 to allocate $100mn to support small island developing states and least developed countries in the Caribbean, Pacific, and Africa regions, and its hosting of the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in March 2023 and its pledge of $60mn to implement development programmes in those countries.HE Sheikh Mohammed added that Qatar has pledged this year, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to allocate 20 % of its Special Drawing Rights holdings, valued at $1 bn, to the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and IMF Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), which will enable the fund to expand concessional lending to low-income countries and countries vulnerable to climate shocks. He pointed out that in June, Qatar also launched its Debt Relief for Education Initiative in cooperation with the World Bank.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Qatar is fully convinced that the 2030 agenda and achieving its sustainable development goals require more international and national efforts. Therefore, Qatar participated effectively in all stages of the negotiations on the final document of this summit and its annexes, as an extension of its support for the recommendations of the Secretary-General of the UN in his report on "Our Common Agenda," and its participation in leading the negotiations on the political declaration of the UN Sustainable Development Summit held in 2023.He pointed out that the world today is facing serious challenges that hinder its economic progress, threaten its social peace, and slow down efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He said that wars, armed conflicts, and the climate change's negative effects pose serious challenges, especially to developing and least-developed countries, which require the world to quickly address and overcome these challenges for the sake of the aspired future.HE Sheikh Mohammed stressed the importance of enhancing global governance, including reforming international financing structures, alleviating the debt burden, and bridging the digital gap. He emphasised the need to enhance efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and social welfare based on protecting human rights and empowering women, in addition to enhancing climate action under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.HE the Prime Minister also stressed that development cannot be achieved without establishing the foundations of peace and stability, so Qatar continues its tireless efforts in mediation to prevent the outbreak of conflicts and resolve them through peaceful means and has achieved regional and international successes in cooperation with its regional and international allies.He added that Qatar is currently engaged in various mediations, including mediation between Hamas and Israel, in partnership with Egypt and the US, to stop the disastrous war on the Gaza Strip. He reiterated Qatar's call to the parties to the conflict to reach a ceasefire agreement and release prisoners and hostages and its call on the international community to take a clear position regarding violations of international law and international humanitarian law regarding the repeated attacks on schools, hospitals, relief workers, and displaced persons in Gaza.The Prime Minister expressed Qatar's pride in hosting the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), which will be the key global event in 2025 within the series of three summits recommended by "Our Common Agenda." He voiced Qatar's aspiration to receive participants from all over the world in Doha, and to achieve tangible results that contribute to building a better world.The Summit of the Future, which concludes Monday, is an opportunity to enhance cooperation on key challenges, bridge gaps in global governance, and reaffirm existing commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Charter.The summit's sessions focus on five main themes, including sustainable development and financing, peace and security, a digital future for all, youth and future generations, and global governance, in addition to human rights, gender equality, and the climate crisis.The summit is scheduled to conclude with the issuance of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations, after being adopted by the participating countries.