The State of Qatar has renewed its commitment to provide support for all efforts made to promote a culture of peace, welcoming all measures taken by the United Nations system to encourage a culture of peace and interfaith dialogue, particularly in light of widespread fear, misinformation, growing divisions among societies, and polarization in situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which threaten international peace and security.
This came in the State of Qatar’s statement delivered by the Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ahmed bin Saif Al Kuwari before the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the item of Culture of Peace.
The statement said that the State of Qatar has contributed a number of initiatives to promote a culture of peace at the national, regional and international levels, stressing that these initiatives are derived from the social, religious and civilizational heritage, pointing to the establishment of many institutions concerned with spreading a culture of peace and dialogue, accepting differences, fighting extremism and renouncing violence.
The statement pointed to the role played by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), which embodies the belief of the State of Qatar that building nations begins with building a human being, and this building is done through human cooperation with fellow human beings to build a society based on mutual respect and coexistence in harmony and homogeneity, no matter how different religions, cultures, and races may be.
Since its establishment, the statement clarified that the center has been organizing an annual international conference in which many new issues are addressed each year, which would enhance dialogue between followers of religions, in order to better understand religious principles and teachings to harness them for the service of all humanity, based on mutual respect and recognition of differences, in cooperation with relevant individuals and institutions.
The statement also expressed Qatar’s keenness to hold the 14th Doha Interfaith Dialogue Conference from May 24-25, 2022, under the theme “Religions and Hate Speech Practice and Scriptures,” which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In view of Qatar’s active membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the State of Qatar expressed its pleasure to join the countries sponsoring the draft resolution submitted under the item of Culture of Peace entitled International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
The statement confirmed Qatar’s full support for the draft resolution, which comes out of serious concern about the increase in violence, incitement to violence and discrimination against Muslims motivated by Islamophobia, which unfortunately is becoming increasingly frequent around the world. The statement also expressed the State of Qatar’s certainty that declaring an international day to combat Islamophobia will greatly contribute to promoting a global dialogue on promoting a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and the diversity of religions and beliefs.
The draft resolution would reflect the commitment of the international community to promote dialogue between religions and cultures, in order to promote peace and social stability, respect for diversity, mutual respect and an environment conducive to peace and mutual understanding at all levels, the statement added.
In conclusion of its statement, the State of Qatar reiterated its commitment to support all efforts made to promote a culture of peace and non-violence for the benefit of all humanity.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs