*Calls for an era of peace, security and coexistence
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani opened this year's edition of Doha Forum under the theme 'Transforming Into a New Era’ Saturday at Sheraton Doha and highlighted the need for an ‘era of peace, security and coexistence for all’.
“The new age that we dream of, and that I personally work for, is the era of peace, security and coexistence for all, the era of social justice, the era in which all people can access their basic needs in education, health, water resources, and living with dignity, and where they can fulfill themselves and exercise their lifestyle and cultures,” the Amir said in his opening address.
The opening session was attended by President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Palestine Mohamed Shtayyeh, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, World Economic Forum President Borge Brende and the heads of delegations of friendly countries.
“The new age that we dream of, and that I personally work for, is the era of peace, security and coexistence for all, the era of social justice, the era in which all people can access their basic needs in education, health, water resources, and living with dignity, and where they can fulfill themselves and exercise their lifestyle and cultures,” the Amir said in his opening address.
The opening session was attended by President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Palestine Mohamed Shtayyeh, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, World Economic Forum President Borge Brende and the heads of delegations of friendly countries.
Amir presents the Doha Forum Award to the CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund, Roya Mahboob from Afghanistan, for her tireless efforts in empowering the women in her country.
It was also attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, a number of ministers and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the state, leading academics, policy makers, parliamentarians, intellectuals, businessmen, media personalities, representatives of regional and international organisations, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations.
Addressing the gathering, His Highness the Amir said that the world has reached a pivotal stage on all political, economic, environmental, and social levels, and this stage requires radical revisions to spare the world from reaching a state of imbalance.
“At the societal level and people’s livelihood, the social and economic gap among states and within a single society, is indicative of a serious defect in the overall economies, especially after the strengthening of the technology sector and its role in the economy and the lives of individuals. This is in addition to the horrific increase in global poverty rates, the difficulty of accessing the basic necessities of life, and the deterioration into famines in some cases,” the Amir explained.
The Amir cautioned against the exclusionary populist voices in a time of societal tensions and economic recession and said that such exclusionary phenomena that have increased in recent years, is the phenomenon of Islamophobia. The Amir also lamented the decrease in political and diplomatic means to solve the disputes and instead the use of military expansion and armed solutions.
His Highness Sheikh Tamim remarked that Qatar has chosen a path of rational dialogue that is simultaneously based on balancing common values and interests to resolve disputes.
“We have chosen the path of mediation to resolve disputes by peaceful means. We have an accumulated experience in this field, which we put at the service of peace, stability and just solutions to conflicts."
At the opening session, the Amir presented the Doha Forum Award to the CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund, Roya Mahboob from Afghanistan, for her tireless efforts in empowering the women in her country. Mahboob is the leader of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team.
In a video message, president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned that the world is risking food shortage as a result of the war Russia waged on his country, stressing that no one is safe from the food supply disruptions. He also called on energy-producing countries to increase their supply to ensure that everyone understands that no country can use energy as a weapon and blackmail the world. He praised the efforts of Qatar in supplying the world with energy, saying it was a trusted country.
At the opening ceremony, Abdulla Shahid, president of the United Nations General Assembly, said the Doha Forum is yet another example of the vision of His Highness the Amir.
“ The success of Doha Forum and its emergence as a premium forum of choice for the world’s top decision makers and influencers is also reflective of Qatar’s role as a key strategic and international partner for conflict resolution, preventive diplomacy, soft power diplomacy and humanitarian assistance,” said Shahid. The opening session was followed by a plenary discussion.
