Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Qatar, responded to Qatar’s critics during the FIFA Congress on Thursday, saying the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup™ represented an historic opportunity to change perceptions about the Middle East and Arab world. He also said the tournament had acted as a catalyst to drive workers’ rights reforms in the country.

He posted on social media on Monday night “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jade’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”

Rock was in the midst of presenting the Best Documentary award when the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss. Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock. Upon return back to his seat, he yelled 'Keep my wife’s name out of your f----g mouth'. Rock said, “Wow dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke'.

Later, during the ceremony, Smith won the Best Actor award on his role as King Richard, a movie on US legend Tennis Star Serena Williams.

He appologised to the Academy and fellow nominees during his award receiving speech but not with his victim comedian on live TV program.

The Fourth High-Level Strategic Dialogue between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), held in Doha, discussed strategic priorities and collaboration for effective United Nations support to Member States on counter-terrorism.

The dialogue took stock of key achievements and impact of policy, coordination and capacity-building work supported by the State of Qatar, and discussed strategic priorities for the coming year for effective United Nations counter-terrorism support to Member States.

Among the participants were Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali bin Khalfan Al Mansouri; Edmund Fitton-Brown, United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, Al-Qaida associated individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities; Ahmed Seif El-Dawla, Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate contributed to identifying priorities to support Member States and other beneficiaries to address their most urgent needs and challenges considering the evolving terrorist threat.

The two sides reaffirmed their strong partnership and discussed opportunities for further collaboration. The State of Qatar is the second largest contributor to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism out of a total 35 other donors.

Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of State of Qatar to United Nations, opened the dialogue. It was chaired by Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov; and Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ministry of Interior, Maj. Gen. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari.

Sheikha Alya Al-Thani welcomed the participants in the important dialogue, expressing the satisfaction of the Government of State of Qatar with the results achieved so far in the implementation of the contribution agreement between the Qatar government and the UNOCT to support the strategic initiatives of the Office, signed in December 2018.

Her Excellency drew attention to Qatar's support for the UNOCT with an amount of $15 million annually from 2019 to 2023, announcing that Qatar will continue to support the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism for an additional three years from 2024 to 2026 at an amount of $15 million annually.

Maj. General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari reviewed the achievements made in the fight against terrorism since the signing of the agreement between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter terrorism.

He stated that the State of Qatar has always cooperated with United Nations bodies in matters of combating terrorism and is striving tirelessly to combat terrorism in all its forms, with the aim of deepening cooperation, expanding existing programs and undertaking new initiatives with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.

He noted that the results of this cooperation between the State of Qatar and the UNOCT can be seen in the financial contributions made in 2019, which allowed the UN Office to carry out its policy, coordination and capacity-building tasks.

He added that this cooperation has focused on supporting victims of terrorism and implementing many global capacity building programs, and programs that deal with combating terrorism in aviation security using advance passenger information and a common passenger name record. He also stressed the importance of adopting innovative approaches and using new and emerging technologies.

Maj. Gen. Al Ansari praised the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, which was co-financed with the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea in 2020, and has gained increasing recognition and benefited from the strong support of the United Nations system and member states.

With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 approaching, Major General Al Ansari stated that the State of Qatar has worked hard to identify best practices to confront threats against major sporting events; these include conducting national risk assessments, tournament risk assessments, cyber risk assessments, intelligence reports, and the use of social media platforms.

In this context, he referred to the launch of the 'Global Program on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism' by the State of Qatar in partnership with the United Nations, indicating that the 3-year program aims to enhance the protection of major sporting events through international cooperation and a sustainable security approach to combating violent extremism that causes terrorism.

He pointed to the progress made by the 'International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism', especially in holding virtual conferences, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained that the launch of the center demonstrated the strong partnership between the United Nations and the State of Qatar in combating terrorism, stressing the importance of the center in providing innovative solutions to support member states in the fight against terrorism.

His Excellency added that the State of Qatar is fully committed to the balanced implementation of the United Nations strategy with its four pillars, international treaties and relevant United Nations resolutions. He indicated that the State of Qatar had taken effective steps at the national and international levels, and had made effective legislative changes and updates to the national systems related to combating terrorism and money laundering, including capacity building and national cooperation.

For his part, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov expressed his deep gratitude to the State of Qatar for its support for the work of the UNOCT

He reviewed the achievements made the past year, stressing that many of them could not have been achieved without the generous support of the State of Qatar.

He stated that the past year witnessed the growth of the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, as 43 UN and non-UN entities have joined under its banner, cooperating around the world.

He added that the Compact has proven to be a critical framework for exchanging early warning analysis, providing strategic direction, and coordinating responses. He also pointed to the references and guidance materials provided by the eight working groups of the Counter-Terrorism Agreement addressing some of the most complex counter-terrorism challenges.

The Strategic Dialogue underlined the commitment to continued cooperation in the implementation of tailored, global programs to support requesting Member States and other counter-terrorism stakeholders for strengthening support for UN counter-terrorism processes, including the reviews of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and UN counter-terrorism reports; and strengthening coordination and coherence of Member States counter-terrorism efforts at the international level with the support of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Compact.

The Dialogue also stressed the importance securing major sporting events, and promoting sport and its values as a tool to prevent violent extremism; and preventing violent extremism leading to terrorism, including through innovative use of behavioral insights.

It also emphasized the importance of supporting victims of terrorism; and establishing national interagency coordination mechanisms, or "fusion cells."

Participants in the Dialogue also discussed the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and the broader cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations system to deliver "all-of-UN" support to Member States and other beneficiaries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard has expressed his country’s willingness to further strengthen ties with Qatar in various fields, stressing that Qatar and Mexico are close friends.

Talking to Ashraf Siddiqui, Editor, www.asiantelegraphqatar.com, on the sideline of Doha Forum, the Mexican minister said that Mexico is keen to expand bilateral relations in the areas of commerce, investment, tourism, education and health.

“We are also talking with Qatar Airways to build air link between both the capital cities to boost bilateral tourism, technology and trade relations,” he said.

He said his meetings with Qatar Investment Authority will explore possible investment and joint ventures to strengthen the Mexican government’s efforts to boost its economy.
He said both Qatar and Mexico can join hands to cooperate in helping on some of the various challenges the world is facing, such as in the areas of environment, social welfare, technology and water conservation.

Talking about his engagements during his stay in Qatar, Ebrard described Doha Forum as an international platform that has provided him the opportunity to meet and exchange experiences and views with a number of his counterparts from various countries, statesmen, policy makers, media professionals and entrepreneurs.

He added that the platform has provided him opportunity to present national priorities and exchange visions on the challenges world is facing today, especially impact of pandemic. He added that he has fruitful talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Ebrard said that he will be meeting with Secretary General of Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Hassan Al Thawadi with the aim to exchange views on the mechanism of caring for visitors, specially from Mexicans, during FIFA World Cup 2022 taking place in Qatar in November this year.

Ebrard also awarded ‘2022 Mexicanos Distinguidos’ award to a Doha-based Mexican football legend Bora Milutinovic on his accomplishments at an event organised at the Opera Theatre, the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara).

Full Speech of Amir of Qatar

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome you to Qatar as we are launching the twentieth edition of the Doha Forum this morning. We founded this platform twenty-two years ago to be a venue for decision-makers, experts and the media from our region and the world at large.

We are pleased that the inception of this forum had paved the way for the emergence of many forums and platforms that were subsequently launched in our region.

The world today 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 level of environment and climate change, we see that non-eco-friendly consumption patterns, and rates of irresponsible industrial production are steadily increasing, which may lead to catastrophic repercussions that impact all of humanity, and even extend to reach future generations.

At the societal level and peoples 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.

We believe that social justice is the real shelter for societies, and this requires fair tax policies because the majority of societies cannot dispense with state services.

But we warn against the exclusionary populist voices in a time of societal tensions and economic recession. One of these exclusionary phenomena that have increased in recent years is the phenomenon of Islamophobia.

Regretfully, Islamophobia is not confined only to the forces of the populist right. However, it needs taking a firm and serious stand against it, such as the one witnessed by the world when it took a stand against racial discrimination and anti-Semitism. It is noteworthy here that the accusation of anti-Semitism is now used wrongly against everyone who criticizes Israel's policies, and this impinges on the struggle against racism and actual anti-Semitism.

On the political and security level, it is sorrowful to see a contraction in the political and diplomatic means in favor of military expansion and armed solutions. The militarization of solutions has begun to grow during the last four decades till it reached one of its most challenging peaks in the Ukrainian war. From here, I emphasize the firm position of the State of Qatar on the renunciation of violence, intimidating civilians and assaulting states sovereignty and all other acts that may constitute a violation of human values and international laws. We stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people and refugees who have been victimized by this unjust war and geopolitical calculations. While stressing this solidarity, I would like in this context to remind of the millions of Palestinians who have been suffering from the Israeli occupation and international neglect for more than seven decades, similarly a lot of other peoples, such as the Syrian people and the Afghan people, for whom the international community has failed to render justice.

Honorable Audience,This war reveals, beyond any doubt that the formulas upon which the international order was based in the aftermath of World War II - and after the end of the Cold War are changing. Its incumbent on all of us, specially the major counties, to take a serious pause to determine the future of the international order and to ask ourselves an important question: What is the shape of the world that we want to bequeath to our children? What is the new era that the current war in Europe, and before it the Coronavirus crisis and other successive crises have proven that we must act to reshape for the benefit of all humanity? Would the major powers answer this question by fighting after competing in the development of new types of weapons? Humanity cannot accept this catastrophic scenario, and there must be other means than the war to get the answers.

For our part, we have chosen a path of rational dialogue that is simultaneously based on balancing common values and interests. 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.

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 fulfil themselves and exercise their lifestyle and cultures.

We wish all participants in this forum fruitful and transparent discussions that may lead to viable proposals and solutions. We also value the efforts of the forum's organizers.

May God Peace, Mercy and Blessing be upon you. (Unquote)

Amir of Qatar, presented Doha Forum Award to Roya Mahboob, CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund from Afghanistan.

Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim hun Hamad AlThani; Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Qatar; Ministers attended a gala dinner hosted in honor of the participatimg guests at the Katara Cultural Village, Doha.

China has never interfered in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and never sought selfish gains or a sphere of influence, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with Afghan Taliban officials in Kabul on Thursday.

Wang met with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Afghan Taliban's interim government earlier in the day. His visit comes ahead of the third Foreign Ministers' Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, which is now being prepared by the Chinese side.

China and Afghanistan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, with bilateral exchanges spanning over a thousand years, Wang said.

He said China respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, respects the independent choices of the Afghan people, and respects Afghanistan's religious beliefs and ethnic habits.

Citing the Afghan saying that China is the only major country that has never harmed Afghanistan, Wang said China is willing to continue the traditional friendship between the two peoples and develop normal, friendly and good-neighborly relations with Afghanistan based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Wang said China is willing to help Afghanistan become independent, achieve independent development, and take Afghanistan's future and destiny into the Afghan people's hands.

The Chinese foreign minister arrived in Kabul from Pakistani capital Islamabad, where he attended a two day OIC conference

It was Wang's first visit to Afghanistan since the Taliban took power last August.

Baradar told Wang that Afghanistan attaches great importance to China's security concerns and will take pragmatic and firm actions to ensure security across the country as a contribution to safeguarding regional security.

Afghanistan is willing to give play to its unique geographical advantage to fully participate in the building of the Belt and Road and become a bridge for regional interconnectivity, Baradar added.

During his meeting with Muttaqi, Wang said the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a terrorist organization listed by the United Nations Security Council and designated by the Chinese government in accordance with the law.

Wang called on the Afghan side to earnestly honor its commitment and take effective measures to resolutely crack down on all terrorist forces including the ETIM.

Muttaqi said that the Afghan side is highly vigilant against the resurgence of terrorism, and will take resolute and strong measures to eliminate the terrorist forces in Afghanistan.

The Afghan caretaker government fully understands China's concerns and will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to harm the Chinese friends, he said.

Muttaqi thanked China for providing the Afghan people with valuable and much-needed humanitarian assistance that has helped them go through a harsh winter.

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) honored the schools of communities and students who won the awareness and education campaign competition launched in November 2021 for community schools in Qatar.

NHRC vice-chairperson Dr. Mohammed bin Saif Al Kuwari in his address said that the honorary ceremony coincided with the celebration of Arab Human Rights Day, noting the efforts of the winners who deserved to be honored for their presentation in the various fields of the competition, particularly in the field of scientific research.

Dr. Al Kuwari said that such competitions would contribute to raising the intellectual level of students and will motivate them to learn and research, create a spirit of competitiveness and encourage the continuation of the process of research, knowledge, and awareness, and gain more information.

He said that NHRC would continue its awareness efforts to continuously introduce human rights principles in the form of parts determined based on the stages of study and age, based on its conviction that human rights knowledge is an urgent necessity for people of different ages.

NHRC organized the awareness and education campaign competition to emphasize the importance of education aimed at the full development of the human personality and the promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in curricula and educational activities.

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