New York - information office - 10 December
The State of Qatar renewed its commitment to make sports an instrument for promoting peace, dialogue and reconciliation, stressing that sports are receiving special and distinctive attention and they have the ability to bring about positive social change that enhances peace and development.
This came in a statement by the Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of Qatar to the United Nations Ahmed bin Saif Al Kuwari in front of the United Nations General Assembly during a session on resolution entitled "Building a Peaceful and Better World Through Sport and the Olympic Ideal."
Al Kuwari said: "In order to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country has invested in building and developing sporting facilities and infrastructure in accordance with international standards, which has enabled it to host major sport events with great success." He pointed out that the State of Qatar has hosted 2006 Asian Games, Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, and other world championships, the last of which was the hosting of 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in October with the participation of 2000 athletes from 209 countries, in addition to hosting the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup recently. Qatar will also host the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, he added.
Al Kuwari also expressed the State of Qatar's aspiration to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is the first in the Middle East and the Arab world, indicating that Qatar has put all possibilities to make it a historical tournament that will create a permanent legacy for the State of Qatar, the region and the world, and contribute significantly to promoting the values of peace and understanding between all the peoples of the world.
He noted the pioneering role played by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy to achieve these goals, as a number of different programs and initiatives were launched, including the "Challenge 22" innovation award, the "Generation Amazing" project , and the "Josoor Institute", in order to empower Arab youth, ensure their participation in the preparations of the tournament and provide them with the opportunities and skills to build a better future.
Al Kuwari noted the role of the Qatar Olympic Committee, which has made tangible achievements at the national and international levels, in supporting the Olympic movement in accordance with the principles of the Olympic Charter, explaining that it works to encourage society to participate in sports at all stages and to develop athletes, coaches and officials at a global level, in addition to host local, regional and international sport events.
Qatar, as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is seeking to make the championship eco-friendly and the first carbon-neutral championship through the use of solar energy and cooling and lighting technology that is water and energy-saving in stadiums, Al Kuwari stated.
The State of Qatar is seeking, through the Group of Friends of Sport for Development, which it co-chairs with the Principality of Monaco, to enhance cooperation at the international level to highlight the important role that sport can play in stimulating sustainable development and peace, especially by encouraging tolerance and respect and empowering societies, he added.
He stressed that the State of Qatar pays special attention to the issue of preventing terrorist attacks on soft targets that include sports facilities, and contributes with its experiences and capabilities in strengthening international cooperation and capacity-building in partnership with relevant international bodies. He pointed to the signing of an agreement between Qatar and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), which is a non-profit organization based in Doha, and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, to establish a new cooperation to protect major sporting events and prevent extremism conducive to terrorism through sports.
As part of Qatar's awareness of the importance of sport in preventing violent extremism, Al Kuwari noted the State's participation with the US, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and the Football for Peace in organizing a special event on the sidelines of the annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly in September, under the title "Promoting the Power of Sport to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism."
He also expressed the Qatar's support for the efforts made to prevent crime and violence among young people through the Global Programme on the Implementation of the Doha Declaration of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has reached more than 6000 young men and women within the life skills training program through sports in order to prevent crime, violence and drug use under the slogan "Line Up, Live Up".
At the end of his statement, the Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of Qatar to the United Nations Ahmed bin Saif Al Kuwari renewed the commitment of the State of Qatar in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to make sport an instrument to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation.