Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani affirmed that the State of Qatar is working to encourage youth participation in all stages of peace paths, including decision-making.
This came in the inaugural speech of Qatar, delivered by the minister before the High-Level Global Conference on Youth Inclusive Peace Processes, which is held virtually from January 19-21.
Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed happiness at opening the conference, which is co-hosted by Qatar, Colombia, Finland, and the United Nations, and is co-organised by the Office of the Secretary Generals Envoy on Youth (OSGEY), the Education Above All (EAA), and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA/PBSO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY).
The Minister praised the pioneering vision and advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation, stressing that Her Highness has been working tirelessly to promote youth empowerment in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
He pointed out that the Qatar is working to encourage youth participation in all stages of peace paths, including decision-making, noting that the Youth Affairs Department of the Ministry of Sports and Youth has been directed to formulate the first national strategy for youth in Qatar.
Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the strategy, which was formulated in consultation with Qatari youth, constitutes a declaration of a common national vision that defines the needs and priorities of Qatari youth.
He pointed out that the First International Symposium on Youth Participation, which was held in Helsinki in March 2019, resulted in the launch of the first global policy paper on youth participation in peace tracks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed confidence that the conference will follow this path in reaching joint political commitments to advance the global youth, peace, and security agenda and provide tangible solutions to compre-hensive sustainable operations for youth around the world.
Also, he expressed hap-piness that the conference will launch international guidelines to advance the global youth, peace, and security agenda and a five-year strategy to promote comprehensive peace paths for youth, which will be imple-mented at the national level.
He affirmed Qatar’s com-mitment to continue working closely with the UN for the effective implementation of the main outcomes of the conference as part of their joint efforts to promote comprehensive global peace paths for youth
