HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Austria and the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna Sultan bin Salmeen al Mansouri said that there is a qualitative leap in the cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna, most notably the cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In an interview with newspaper, HE the Ambassador emphasised the close relations and cooperation between the State of Qatar and the IAEA and its commitment to the Agencys goals to expand the role of nuclear energy in achieving peace, development and prosperity in countries of the world.
He said that the State of Qatar cooperates with the United Nations' organisations and other international organisations operating in Vienna, most notably the IAEA, the UNODC, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
HE pointed out that the State of Qatar, since its accession to the IAEA in 1976, has maintained close cooperation relations with the Agency through agreements and memoranda of understanding on various aspects related to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the sharing of nuclear knowledge and technologies, especially in the areas of research and development on vital problems facing developing countries through directing work efforts towards food, health, water, the environment, and the fields of nuclear and radiological technology.
He underlined that the State of Qatar is keen to fulfil its financial obligations to the Agencys budget and the Technical Cooperation Fund (TCF). He pointed out that the State also contributed financial assistance outside the regular budget for the project to renew and expand the Agencys scientific labouratories in Seibersdorf in the outskirts of Vienna, in addition to expanding its cooperation with the Agency in the field of nuclear security and safety and the ratification of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials. It also joined the Convention on Nuclear Safety and provided continuous financial support for the Agencys technical, medical, therapeutic and agricultural projects, he added.
HE Ambassador Al Mansouri praised the cooperation between the State of Qatar with the Agency when it comes to monitoring nuclear security measures during the FIFA World Cup 2022, as well as the participation of Qatari experts in many training courses held by the Agency in both its headquarters in Vienna and in the State of Qatar.
On cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) HE Qatar's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Austria, and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri said that since its establishment in 1997 in Vienna, the UNODC has played a pioneering role in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime in all its dimensions, in addition to being responsible for implementing the UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The office also works to improve crime prevention procedures and help reform criminal justice systems in the world in order to strengthen the rule of law, HE the Ambassador said.
In this regard, HE pointed out that the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice hosted by the State of Qatar in 2015 has established a distinguished and fruitful cooperation between the State of Qatar and UNODC, especially through the Doha Declaration Global Programme, which is funded by the State of Qatar.
He added that the Programme has become a pioneering model to be emulated in providing support to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in order to assist countries, especially developing ones, in addressing organized crime, corruption, drugs and terrorism, and in building well-established and fair criminal justice systems and contributing to the implementation of the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
HE underlined that the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration reflected the wisdom and foresight of the country's political leadership, led by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Qatar's belief in pluralism in international work as well as its endeavour to convert international political commitments into projects on the ground.
After the impressive success of the 13th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that was held in Doha in April 2015, and the issuance of its political declaration - the Doha Declaration - HH the Amir ordered the funding of an international programme to implement the Doha Declaration in cooperation with the UNODC with the aim of assisting countries, in particular developing nations, in addressing organised crime, corruption, drugs and terrorism, and building solid and transparent criminal justice systems, HE said.
Due to the impressive successes achieved by the Doha Declaration Global Programme, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres chose the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, emanating from the global program, from among 194 projects submitted by 52 organs of the United Nations from 44 UN worksites to win the UN Secretary-General 2020 Innovation Award, HE the Ambassador pointed out.
With regard to the existing cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office in Vienna, HE Ambassador Al Mansouri indicated that an agreement has been reached between the two sides to establish the United Nations Regional Center for Combating Cybercrime in Doha.
On cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Austria, His Excellency said that there are several vital sectors that the countries look to cooperate in, foremost of which is the joint cooperation in the banking sector and its encouragement through the opening of a representative office of some Austrian banks in Doha, which would contribute to encouraging investments and increasing the volume of trade exchanges, noting that Austria, through its legal structure and relaxed tax regulations with foreign investors, provides one of the best pillars of international investment, as the representative office can be a bridge for direct and personal access to the private banking sector in Austria.
Given the interest of world's countries in the State of Qatar's ongoing preparations to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Austrian government has become very interested in expanding the contribution of its companies in the World Cup projects, as there are several companies working in the construction of stadiums, sports facilities and the metro in Doha, in addition to its desire to enter into other projects in the future, HE said.
HE Qatar's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Austria said that PORR, one of the largest construction companies in Austria, has contributed to the construction of several facilities in Qatar, most notably Al Janoub Stadium. (QNA)
