Doha: HE United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths commended the State of Qatar’s major and leading role and efforts in humanitarian work in partnership with the United Nations.
His Excellency said that the State of Qatar adopts a crucial humanitarian diplomacy approach under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, rendering Qatar a force for good in the world.
HE Griffiths told Qatar News Agency that the State of Qatar is an extraordinarily active and energetic UN member state, whose role is growing in such a way that is enabling it to address common world problems such as conflict, climate change, and insecurity.
HE the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said that this humanitarian role has become so central to the identity of Qatar globally, which is consistent with UN values and charter, thus, posing a great opportunity for the UN to benefit from Qatar’s
major role.
His Excellency added, “We are very close in our discussions both at the operational level and at the strategic level with Qatar.” Griffiths continued by saying that over the past few days, the two sides discussed priorities for humanitarian work in Sudan, and ways to reach people in need in Darfur and Khartoum, in addition to holding detailed discussions with various partners on how to improve operational efficiency, such as the discussion His Excellency had with Qatar Airways regarding their willingness to provide airlift capacity for UN bodies in times of sudden disasters, as well as discussing with Qatar charity to benefit from their expertise.
Moreover, HE the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator pointed out that he had discussions with the Ministry of Interior’s Search and Rescue team on operational, tactical, and strategic cooperation.
His Excellency indicated that his visit to Doha came in light of the agreement between the United Nations O
ffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the State of Qatar to hold a Strategic Dialogue here, which also coincides with the Global Security Forum taking place.
HE Griffiths said that the State of Qatar is a very special partner due to it being an extremely generous donor to humanitarian projects, in addition to its mediation efforts which do not only seek to help people survive conflicts, but to resolve them as well, thus, Qatar is a state which practices humanitarian diplomacy, brokers mediation efforts, and provides humanitarian aid across the world.
His Excellency detailed that bilateral cooperation includes working together on search and rescue operations, as well as cooperation with Qatar charity, the Qatar Fund for Development, the Qatar Red Crescent Society, and Qatar Airways, point out that operational agreements were signed with all of those partners in addition to holding cooperation talk on Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.
In a related context, HE Griffiths spoke abou
t current conflicts and developments globally, and the need for the international community to respect human rights, adding that His Excellency is afraid that the world has drifted away from committing to the basic principles of the United Nations Charter which are based on respect for human rights, especially at a period when the world is experiencing more conflicts than previous decades, with prevalent impunity and widespread violations of international law.
HE the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator exemplified the aforementioned points by referring to the killing of humanitarian aid workers and the attacks on health institutions, in addition to the severe repercussions of the wars in the Gaza Strip and Sudan, among others.
His Excellency said that the principles of the UN Charter stipulate that any differences of view between leaders should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, however, once leaders decide that violence and war are the way to reso
lve their differences, then the whole concept of the UN Charter becomes challenged and at risk.
As for the UN Security Council’s ability to intervene in the ongoing developments, such as what is going on in the Gaza Strip, HE Griffiths said, “One of the problems of the world today is indeed reflected in the divisions in the Security Council. So you have a Security Council which is rarely united on issues of peace and security, and that’s a problem for the world, not just for the members of the Security Council.” His Excellency pointed out that the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council were divided over the war in Ukraine and the war on the Gaza Strip, stressing that this matter has a direct impact on all global efforts regarding peace, security, and humanitarian operations.
Concluding his statements to QNA, HE the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator stressed the importance of the humanitarian communitys cooperation regarding their rights and obligation
s to providing assistance to all those in need regardless of political situations, as well as calling for joint action to overcome the Security Council’s division and regaining faith in dialogue to achieve the necessary liberation of families around the world through development and sustainable goals.
Source: Qatar News Agency
