HE Secretary-General of the National Planning Council, Abdul Aziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, led the delegation of the State of Qatar at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, themed “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”, held from 15 to 18 July at the UN Headquarters in New York.
At the forum, His Excellency delivered Qatar’s statement, reaffirming the country’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Political Declaration issued by the Summit on Sustainable Development Goals held under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly in September last year. The Summit aimed to review and accelerate progress in implementing the Agenda, with the goal of benefiting humanity and the globe and achieving prosperity, peace and partnership, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
His Excellency said that Qatar’s commitment to sustainable development is a fundamental choice embodied in Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to transform Qatar by 2030 into an advanced country capable of achieving sustainable development, and ensuring a continuous decent life for its people generations to come. The Vision also provides a general framework for the development of comprehensive national strategies and implementation plans, the latest being the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, launched this year.
"Today, we reaffirm our commitment to the principle of cooperation and partnership to address common challenges. Our National Vision 2030 views international cooperation as a fundamental component of the national development process, aiming to bolster Qatar’s regional role economically, politically and culturally, especially within the framework of the United Nations and regional and international organizations. Over the past five decades, Qatar’s relationship with the UN has been marked by close cooperation across various fields. Qatar strategically relies on the role of international institutions and multilateral cooperation, highlighted by hosting the United Nations House in Doha. This facility houses several UN agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), working collaboratively to enhance multilateral international cooperation”, he added.
HE the Secretary-General of the National Planning Council participated in a ministerial dialogue session entitled "Current Trends and Their Impacts: Looking to the Future and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals". During this session, he touched on the relationship between peace and security and sustainable development, the issue of climate change, financing for development, the Doha Work Program on assisting least developed countries, issues of science, technology and innovation, the role of youth in development and issues of global financial architecture.
His Excellency was a keynote speaker at a side session organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Chile to the United Nations entitled "Poverty and Social Protection: The Road to the World Social Summit" in cooperation with several countries. He also participated in the launch meeting of the Sustainable Development Report in the Arabic Region 2024, organized by the Permanent Mission of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
On the sidelines of the forum, HE the Secretary-General met with HE Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua. They reviewed development progress in Qatar, including the formation of the National Planning Council, the preparation of the Third National Development Strategy and its outputs, and the establishment of the National Statistics Center.
His Excellency also met with Mr. Stefan Schweinvest, Head of the United Nations Statistics Division. They discussed establishing the National Statistics Center for the collection, dissemination and analysis of official data in accordance with the basic principles of official statistics, and providing the necessary indicators for decision makers and data users in all sectors. They agreed that the United Nations Statistics Division would provide technical support and assistance in building statistical capacity for the National Statistical Centre and other partners.
His Excellency also met with HE Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Rola Dashti, where they discussed enhancing efforts and cooperation to support the capacities of the National Planning Council and National Statistical Center in promoting national development and achieving the objectives of the Third National Development Strategy.
On the sidelines of the forum, His Excellency also met with HE Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, HE Minister of Economy of the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Saeed bin Mohammed Al-Saqri, and HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Yuri Ambražević.
At the conclusion of the Forum, the Declaration on the high-level segment of the 2024 session of the Economic and Social Council and the 2024 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held under the auspices of the Council, on the theme: "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: effectively implementing sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions", was announced. The commitment to build a sustainable, prosperous, peaceful, just and inclusive world by 2030, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, was reaffirmed.
The Declaration also emphasized that significant and rapid changes must build on a broadly reliable, multidisciplinary and accessible scientific foundation, with a commitment to bridging gaps in science, technology and innovation. It called for the responsible use of science, technology and innovation as engines of sustainable development, and capacity building for sustainable transformations.
The need to promote peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and secure societies to achieve sustainable development and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels was stressed. Efforts in this area must encompass good governance, the rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, equal access to fair justice systems, anti-corruption measures and the reduction of illicit financial flows. The importance of good governance and strong institutions as key enablers of sustainable development, along with the many aspirations aimed at advancing sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda, was underscored.
