Islamabad, 31 March 2023

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial broke down today during hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) led by former ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan's petition against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)  on delay in the Punjab and  Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces citing security threats, the economic situation of the country and lack of man power to conduct the polls.

In presence of the audience and members of the media in court, he charged that since last two years he and some of the judges are targets of propaganda and they were unable to response. He admitted that he became emotional during the hearing.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Feb­ruary 22 took the suo motu no­tice over the delay in the election of two provincial assemblies, and constituted a nine-member bench to hear the case.

Currently, CJ Bandial is heading a three member bench reduced from nine member initially constituted by the Chief Justice, included himself were Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar  and Jus­tice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.

Four members namely Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Yahya Afridi dissociated from the case from beginning. Later, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Aminuddin Khan recused themselves from hearing the case.

It is surprising that Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan is seen in the present three member bench hearing the same case from which he dissociated himself from beginning.

Pakistani parliament both the National Assembly (Lower House) and the senate overwhelmed passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure), Bill 2023 aimed at curbing the top judge’s suo motu powers in an individual capacity amid protest by the opposition.

In Senate, sixty votes were cast in favour of the bill and 19 against it. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar submitted a motion in the house which met under the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

A three member bench headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, second senior most judge of the superior courts On March 29 held that all cases that various Supreme Court benches were hearing under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution be postponed until amendments are made in the Supreme Court Rules 1980 regarding the discretionary powers of the CJP.

Among the bench members were Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Shahid Waheed issued the verdict with a vote of 2 to 1 with the dissenting note by Justice Shahid Waheed. However, interestingly Registrar of the SC through a administrative circular this morning disregarded the judicial order issued by Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Aminuddin Khan, stating that it violated the rules laid down by a five-judge larger bench.

Doha, 30 March 2023 (Qatar Tribune)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Chef David Dahlhaus, a German national serving as Executive Chef in Hotel Ritz-Carlton Doha for about 10 months now, is a passionate, focused, humble and dedicated culinary expert.

On the recently-hosted first-ever prestigious FIFA World Cup 2022 by Qatar, Chef David said, “Indeed it was a great pride to be part of the historical event hosted in this region.”

The FIFA World Cup, he noted, attracted football fans to Qatar from all across the globe – bringing diversified cultures to the country to share one passion of football. “It was a rare opportunity to showcase Qatar as a modern, highly developed, safe and secure country,” he added.

“People in the West have different perceptions and different understanding about the culture of this region. The leadership and the well-skilled team not only displayed unprecedented organisational skills but also left a big challenge for future hosting countries.

“The organisers very successfully presented rich Arab culture, Arabic cuisines and its heritage during the almost two months of festival environment created by the world’s most unique hosting of the mega football tournament,” he pointed out.

Talking about choosing a career in the culinary sector which is highly time-consuming, 365 days a year, having to meet tastes of such a diversified and multi-culture region like of Gulf States, he said he has a deep passion for learning, and understanding the essence of diversified food cultures. In addition, he said, he keeps passing on his knowledge to the young professionals helping them to grow further and honing their skills. “Moreover, this is the career which meets food requirement on a daily basis and anywhere round the clock in any part of the world,” he noted.

Chef David Dahlhaus was born in Capital city Berlin in Germany, and is the elder child among two siblings. He pays his high gratitude to his grandmother who took care of her both grandchildren almost on daily basis until they returned back from school, as his parents were a working couple.

He cherishes his childhood memories spent with his grandmother especially the spark and love in her eyes while preparing food for them.

“Grandma used to describe about the ingredients and preparation of food while cooking which helped me in understanding the quality and basics of food right from my childhood,” he revealed.

He was four years old, a kindergartener, when, after discussion with her younger sister, he decided to prepare breakfast for his parents every week-end. By the age of eight, he prepared his first pasta.

When the age was ripe to decide about choosing of career, he was clear that he wanted to go in the culinary field. So, he told his parents this career would provide him with opportunities to work in various parts of the world and he would bring pride to the family.

“Being away from family and motherland is a big sacrifice. However, it is my 17th year working abroad and I visit my family back in Germany during vacations.”

He got first job in the United Kingdom, from where he got offer to work at a number of places including Bahrain, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

It was in Dubai working for JW Marriott in 2007 where he met his life partner, a Philippines national working in the same hotel. They got married in 2015 and the couple has a daughter, now one-year-old.

“In the food industry it’s important that your life partner understands your nature of job as Chef which demands long hours of working, and sacrifice so much so that either of the partner may not be able to celebrate birthdays and any celebrations,” he said.

“But here in the Middle East, there are so many celebrations and festivals ongoing, that anyone in the culinary profession helps others to enjoy their time,” he said.

“I take myself as a role model for youth working in culinary sector and have a passion to pass on my experience to them for their growth and development,” one could see in his eyes the same reflection of his grandmother's eyes spark and love.

Besides, this is a career that provides opportunities to work around the globe, meeting the people and learning about their cultures, he said, adding that he has a deep passion for the culinary sector, and he’s a focused and happy person in all situations.

Islamabad, 29 March 2023 (APP)

The Foreign Office spokesperson on Wednesday said that they welcomed the decision by the European Union to remove Pakistan from the list of high-risk countries, thus recognizing Pakistan’s performance in overcoming technical issues in its anti-money laundering /countering financing of terrorism.

This followed UK’s decision to remove Pakistan from a similar list in November 2022, the spokesperson said in a press release.

“The removal from the list will ease financial transactions between entities from Pakistan and the European Union. Pakistan looks forward to building on this development for mutually beneficial economic cooperation with the European Union and sharing its experience in the up-gradation of AML/CFT regimes with partner countries,” it was further added.

Doha, 28 March 2023

’ Zakia Mashhadi, reputed fiction-writer from India and Mirza Ather Baig, eminent Pakistani novelist, playwright and short story writer, have recently been declared winners  of the 27^th Aalmi Frogh e Urdu Adab Award [ i.e. International award for promotion of Urdu literature ] for the year 2023.

The annual award was instituted by Majlis e Frogh e Urdu Adab (MFUA), world- renowned in Urdu literature, Qatar-based  Urdu literary organization, in 1996.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 150,000 and an award trophy for each winner. It is given every year to a fiction writer or scholar or researcher or critic, one each from Pakistan and India, for their significant contribution towards the  promotion of Urdu language and literature.

The Awards Ceremony and Mushaira is expected to be held in  last quarter of the year 2023, dates will be announced later, Majlis Chairman Mohammad Atiq said.

Mohammad Atiq, Chairman of the Majlis, said the award winners were unanimously chosen by two independent juries, one from Pakistan and the other from India. Both juries comprised of reputed Urdu scholars.

The Pakistan Jury was headed by renowned scholar, critic , researcher and poet- Prof. Dr. Khurshid ul Hassan Rizvi, with members—Prof. Fateh Mohammad Malik, Prof. Dr. Tehsin Firaqi and Prof. Dr Zahid Munir Amir.

The Indian Jury comprised of the  new Chairman, Dr. Shafey Kidwai who took over as Chairman, following death of Prof. Dr. Gopi Chand Narang on 15^th June last year. with members  - Syed Mohammad Ashraf, Prof. Dr. Ateequllah,  Prof. Qazi Obaid ur Rehman Hashmi and Sheen Kaaf Nizam.

Announcing the award after the jury meeting on 2^nd March, 2023, Prof. Shafey Kidwai  announced that in recognition of overall services to  Urdu language and literature and in the unanimous opinion of all jury members, it had been decided to give this year’s award to –ZAKIA MASHHADI.

Zakia Mashhadi is a very well known  and prominent  fiction-writer in the sub-continent. Her 9 collections of short stories and a  novel and her 8 books after translation from Urdu to English, Hindi to Urdu and from  English  to Urdu, have been published so far. Her collections of short stories  include 'Piyare Chehre' (1984),  Tareek  Rahon ke Musafir (1993), 'Sadai Bazgasht' (2003), 'Naqsh e  Natamam' (2008), 'Yeh Jehan e Rang o Boo' (2013), 'Muntakhib Afsane' (2016), 'Ankhan Dekhi' (2016)' 'PARSA BIBI KA BAGHAR' (Novelet - 2016), 'Ballaman ki janan Mein Kaun' (2020), 'DIYA Bati ki Bela' (2022),

Her translated works include –‘'Pakhero', ’Neela Chand’, 'The last Salute', ’PARAYA GHAR’, 'Bridging Connections’, ’Aiwan  Ghazal'—Novel, and ’Understanding Human Behaviour'.

Her famous short story 'Maa' (Mther) has become a classic. She has translated Jeelani  Bano ‘s  famous novel 'Aiwan e Ghazal' into English. It has been published by National Book Trust and has been highly appreciated at global level. She has also translated her own 12 selected short stories, which have been published by National Book Trust.

Zakia Mashhadi has been honoured with numerous awards, which include Iqbal Samman , Ghalib Award for fiction (2016), Sahitya Academy Tarjuma Award (2018), Awards from Bihar University for the first three Collections of Short Stories and many highest awards from BIHAR and Uttar Pardesh Urdu academies.

Pakistan Award Jury meeting held on  15^th March, 2023 in Lahore, Prof. Dr. Khurshid  Rizvi, the Pakistan Award jury Chairman, announced the name of Mirza Athar Baig as the Award winner from Pakistan for the year 2023.

Baig was born on 7^th March, 1950  in Sharaqpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Both his parents were school teachers and encouraged him to read widely from a young age. He is now a novelist, playwright and short story writer. Some critics regard him as one of the most important contemporary writers in the Urdu language.

He is a veteran professor of post-modern and post – colonial  Philosophy at Government College University, Lahore, Baig announced his entry into fiction with Avant—Garde works that completely re-shaped the field of contemporary Urdu fiction. He is also currently associated with the Department of Philosophy at the Government College University in Lahore.

Baig’s fiction works include three  novels, a short story collection and numerous plays for television. His first novel 'GHULAM BAGH' is considered  one of the central works  of literature in the Urdu language. The novel has received critical acclaim. Five editions have been published since its initial publication in 2006.

A collection of short stories, titled 'BEH AFSANA' (ANTI-STORY) was published in 2008. His second novel 'SIFAR SE AIK TAAK' (From zero to one) was published in 2010. His third novel 'HASSAN KI SURAT-E-HAL' was published in 2014 and has received critical acclaim in Pakistan as well as international media. It was translated into English.

Baig is recipient of 'Pride of Performance' award by the Government of Pakistan.

Istanbul, 28 March 2023 (Anadolu News)

FIFA will pay clubs a combined $355 million for sending their footballers to the 2026 and 2030 World Cup tournaments, the European Club Association (ECA) confirmed Monday.

The ECA said in a statement that FIFA President Gianni Infantino and ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them at the 29th ECA General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary.

"The Club Benefits Programme, for example, which has historically compensated all clubs who release players for the men’s World Cup and was a key achievement of the previous MoU, will now increase from $209 million for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup final tournaments to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments," the ECA said.

It added that the long-term deal would enable the ECA and FIFA to build on their close collaboration which has existed since the birth of the ECA 15 years ago, now with a new term until Dec. 31, 2030.

Islamabad, 27 March 2023 (APP)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said immense opportunities existed for investment in mining, information technology, energy, communication and infrastructure sectors in Pakistan and the government was taking measures to provide all possible facilities to investors.

The prime minister was talking to a delegation of Barrick Riko Diq Mining Company led by its chief executive officer Mark Bristow. Mark Bristow informed the prime minister about the progress on the mining project.

The PM said many areas of Pakistan especially Balochistan were rich in mineral resources and the government was working on priority basis for fully utilizing these natural resources.

The recent agreement on the Riqo Dik project would be beneficial for both sides, he said adding Riko Diq project would be a game changer for Balochistan and would usher in a new era of progress. The PM said a project support team should be formed for execution of the Riko Diq project and directed that all relevant departments should fulfill their responsibility for implementation of the project.

The prime minister was told that seventy percent people working on the project belonged to Balochistan. It was informed that the mining company had established a school in Riko Diq with the cooperation of the community development committee in the area. Besides, steps would be taken for imparting professional and higher level education to youth of the area so that they could get jobs. It was told in the briefing, work was continuing on providing facilities of clean drinking water and health in the area and alternative energy was being used in the mining project.

Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the mining company for its welfare projects to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. He invited the company to work with the government to establish Danish Schools in Balochistan.

Present on the occasion were Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Advisor to PM Ahad Cheema, State Minister for Petroleum Musadiq Malik, Special Assistant to PM Jehanzeb Khan and high ranking officers.

New Delhi, 24 March 2023 (The Times of India)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as a Lok Sabha member following his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

The announcement of disqualification of the Wayanad MP comes a day after a court in Surat sentenced him to two years in the case filed against him over his remarks. It is effective from the date of conviction (March 23).

Doha, 20 March 2023

HE Dr. Muhemmed Aejaz, ambassador of Pakistan to State of Qatar has said that Pakistan and Qatar have drawn closer to each other every passing year during the past five decades of diplomatic relations, bringing up new opportunities for cooperation and collaboration in the 21^st century. He was addressing at a gala reception hosted by him celebrating 82nd National Day of Pakistan coincided with 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Pakistan.

Present on the occasion were HE Masoud bin Mohammed Al Ameri, Minister of Justice of State of Qatar; HE Sheikh Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani; HE Engineer Ali Al Misnad; HE Ibrahim Yousuf Fakhro, Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; HE Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Dean of Diplomatic Corps and ambassador of Eritrea; members of diplomatic corps; dignitaries; Pakistani community members and guests.

He said that Qatar and Pakistan are brotherly countries have enjoyed a long-standing relationship based on shared religious and cultural values and common interests at the peoples’ level. Over the past five decades of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Pakistan, the greatest achievement is the strong foundation of mutual trust and respect that both sides have built together, generation after generation. Today our cooperation expands through a broad spectrum of sectors, from bilateral and multilateral political partnership, to cherished mutual economic development goals and from further strengthening of close people to people contacts, to expansion of trade and technological cooperation into diverse sectors, besides a notable, close cooperation in the fields of security and defense, to name a few.

Pakistan's envoy expressed his profound and sincere appreciation to the State of Qatar, and especially to HH the Emir of Qatar,  Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for HH continued support and cooperation towards Pakistan.

He said that His Highness repeated expression of brotherly feelings amply supported by strong gestures each time, is the most cherishable source of strength for both countries. We are grateful to His Highness for his personal interest in the efforts to achieve our shared goals and build mutually rewarding economic ties, he said.

He said that close ties between Pakistan and Qatar have been demonstrated by a regular exchange of high level visits. Of late, these included HH visit to Pakistan in 2019, and the visits of Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to Qatar in 2022 and 2023. These leadership level interactions have been instrumental in deepening mutual understanding of each other's priorities and appreciation of views on issues of bilateral interest. These engagements have also helped to broaden the spectrum of our cooperation from trade, economic and security areas to also include energy, aviation, IT and technological sector, tourism, and food security, in recent years.

Ambassador Aejaz said that Pakistan has been one of Qatar's trusted partners, providing human resources and services for development of Qatar's economy and infrastructure, under HH the Amir’s Vision 2030. As a result, over 260,000 strong Pakistani community in Qatar has been part of this process, particularly during the past 12 years. This includes businessmen, high-level professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workers. Similarly, Pakistan has been the recipient of Qatari investment in various fields, including oil and gas, real estate, and financial services.

He congratulated Qatar on the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022. This was a monumental achievement, and the world witnessed Qatar's hospitality, professionalism, and dedication to delivering a spectacular event. FIFA 2022 has been internationally recognized as a great achievement in its own way, and as an unprecedented sporting event in the world.

He said that Pakistan and its people are particularly proud of the beautiful and convincing manner in which the Qatari leadership and government showcased Islam’s great message of peace, tolerance and humanity to the rest of the world during this event. This is an unprecedented and highly regarded gesture that has now convinced all those who visited Qatar during FIFA World Cup 2022, to return to Doha once again.

The envoy said that Pakistan is proud to have played a small but significant role in Qatar's journey towards hosting this historic event. Pakistan was an active partner at every stage of the mega event particularly in the infrastructure development that included construction of iconic Qatari stadiums; provision of fool-proof on-land and sea-ward security during the event, with active participation of our armed forces; as well as in providing volunteers from the large Pakistani community. Building on this success, we look forward to working with our Qatari partners for all the future mega events here.

He said that the Pakistani community in Qatar has also made valuable contributions to Qatar's economy, society, and culture. We appreciate the support and hospitality extended to them by the people and government of Qatar, year after year. The Embassy of Pakistan in Doha is committed to providing all possible support to our very vibrant community members, and in ensuring their well-being.

He highlighted the Embassy’s drive towards digitization, which allowed to better inform the community and enhance the efficiency of operations. Our goal is to provide and educate our community with updated and accurate information on various areas, from labour to education and from guidelines on starting a business here to understanding Qatar’s main focus areas under Vision 2030.

He thanked the sponsors of the evening for making the event possible, including Al Wakeel Group; United Bank Limited and HADICO Trading and Contracting.

Geneva, 19 March 2023

NHRC Qatar Chairman Mrs. Maryam bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, received the Committee's accreditation certificate for the third time in a row with a classification grade (A) from 2021 to 2025, by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.

Under the renewal of accreditation, NHRC  continues to maintain its classification at the highest level that can be granted to the National Institution from 2010 until 2025, after which it is subject to re-accreditation again and a review of its compliance with the Paris Principles.

Mrs. Maryam bint Abdullah Al-Attiya in a statement said that the approval of the National Committee on rank (A) for the third time in a row is a clear indication that we are on the right path towards protecting and promoting human rights.

She noted that financial and administrative independence was a major reason for its steadfastness at the top of the classification of national human rights institutions. It was in addition to issuing of annual reports and special reports publicly announced and uploaded to the committee's official website.

Moreover, the committee's recommendations remain a matter of interest and discussion in the relevant government ministries.

Al-Attiyah said that all these aspects and others are the subject of important questions that must be answered by the accreditation committee with full credibility and transparency.

The fact that the institution issues reports on the human rights situation in its national environment and publishes these reports to the public is a very important and decisive matter in the classification process.

She said that receipt of the certificate comes in light of the recent adoption by the General Assembly of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions of the proposed amendments to the Statute of the Alliance with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and rigor of the accreditation process, which approved that all accredited national human rights institutions (with classification A) and classification (B) be subject to special review. Or suspending the classification of accreditation if its circumstances change in a way that may affect its continued compliance with the Paris Principles, as the national institutions classified on stage (b) were not subject to re-accreditation and references.

She noted that according to the approval of the amendments to the articles of association of the alliance, these institutions became (b) obligated by complying with the principles I have established herein or raising the level of compliance with the Paris Principles until it is escalated to Class A,

in addition, the Sub-Committee on Accreditation has been provided with the ability to recommend revoking the accreditation classification of NHRIs where they cannot continue to be considered as institutions operating in accordance with Paris Principles Pointing out that the strict amendments to the statute of the Global Alliance make its members from the national institutions in a great challenge to pain Maintain your rating.

Al-Attiyah said that We, in the National Human Rights Committee, and in accordance with the full compliance with the accreditation and classification requirements; It has become the NHRC; One of the regional and international pillars in the process of protecting and promoting human rights, thanks to the exemplary expertise and experiences that it successfully fought throughout its career.

Noting that these experiences are now considered one of the most important references adopted by many national institutions in the region to strengthen their expertise in the human and human rights field.

She said that NHRC made a great effort to reach the rating (A) for the first time in 2010, but the greatest effort was in the process of steadfastness in this classification, as steadfastness in achieving success in reaching the summit requires greater capabilities to steadfastly reach the peaks. Higher and higher.

She added: This matter puts us in front of great responsibilities and honesty to preserve this international status that NHRC has obtained, which leads us to make more efforts to make the committee a true interface that reflects the human culture enjoyed by the government and people of the State of Qatar.

Mrs. Amina Bou Ayyash, Vice-President of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, said: The receipt of the accreditation certificate by the National Human Rights Committee in the State of Qatar is a certificate proving the committee's full compliance with international standards regulating the work of national human rights institutions, known as the Paris Principles, including financial independence And administrative, which is considered one of the most important principles for national institutions to adopt the highest classification that the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions can grant to its members.

Doha, 16 March 2023

The Global Security Forum (GSF) 2023 closed in Doha today after three days of powerful insights into the threats facing and prospects for securing a safer world.

During its final day, GSF 2023’s invited gathering of ministers, government officials, law enforcers, security agency heads, academia, media, and private sector leaders heard alerts and optimism impacting the post-covid world and the prospects for technology and space advancement.

Ambassador Roger Carstens, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, explained that the process of securing the release of hostages and repatriating them requires negotiation and coordination between the Hostage Affairs Office, hostages’ families and all relevant state and non-state actors.

The Ambassador urged increased public awareness to deter citizens from returning to detainer countries.

He acknowledged a concerning rise in wrongful detainment by state actors and said that the Levinson Act was a step in the right direction.

He carstens explained that his office prioritizes the needs of hostage and detainee families and strives to support and keep them informed throughout the process, allowing media engagement if preferred.

President & Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, Diane Foley – the mother of journalist Jim Foley, who lost his life as a hostage – expressed appreciation for the Levinson Act, which defines wrongful detention criteria and the need for partnerships and cooperation with state actors, media, and other relevant parties.

“We must work together on this,” she said.  “We need more research we need to really have evidence-based strategies to deal with this problem,” added.

Ms Foley concluded by expressing appreciation for Qatar and its negotiation leadership.

During a panel discussion on Afghanistan’s current challenges and future prospects, Fawzia Koofi, the Afghan Parliament’s Former Second Deputy Speaker and leading women’s rights activist, said the Taliban’s ideology is unchanged and its lack of governance still prevents Afghanis from writing their own narrative.

Koofi said that the Taliban feel threatened by Daesh and that the only way to bring change to Afghanistan is by continuing civil resistance led by women, leveraging Taliban’s fragmentation, and achieving international consensus.

Meanwhile, Hekmat Karzai, Chairman of the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies and Afghanistan’s former Deputy Foreign Minister, identified a sole focus of the international community on Ukraine, but argued it gives Afghans the opportunity to advance to a stage where they’re able to effectively interface with the Taliban and exclude third parties from the conversation.

He highlighted the need to rationalize funds entering Afghanistan and ensuring that it reaches the people, rather than funding Taliban soldiers.

Panelists agreed that women’s right to education remains a top priority and that an inclusive government is necessary for a brighter future for Afghanistan.

In a fireside chat on the role of sports in bringing people together, Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,  said that the tournament created unique bonding experiences and a platform for nations to celebrate their cultures together.

The output he said, spoke volumes about the power of sports in creating global unity and in breaking down stereotypes about the Arab World.

Al-Thawadi highlighted the safe and secure experience that ran parallel to the sporting event as well as the international partnerships formed to ensure visitors’ safety.

He added that the host nation also worked to anticipate events and put in place processes to prevent escalation.

In her closing remarks, Lori Wachs, Board Member of the Forum’s Organizing Team, said: “Despite the complex and multifaceted crises so many of our speakers have highlighted, it is clear that no country can address these alone; whether energy insecurity, conflict, or violent far-right movements. In this context, cooperation at multiple levels, national, regional, and international, is even more critical.”

Findings and recommendations from GSF 2023 will be presented to key stakeholders at prestigious international meetings and events, including the United Nations, European Union, Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Global Coalition Against ISIS.

The 2023 Global Security Forum hosted by the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies (QIASS) is held in cooperation with several high-level agencies and institutions, including the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED); New America Foundation, Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Defense One, the Center on National Security at Fordham Law; Strong Cities Network; and the Airey Neave Trust.