Qatar Calls for Concerted Efforts to Address Development Challenges

New York, October 23 (QNA) - Qatar has called for concerted efforts to accomplish a lot of things on the right track in the future to address development challenges. In a speech delivered before the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 67th session of the year 2012 on the International Trade and Development, HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, who is also President of the 13th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII), said that the world has witnessed disturbing shifts and the UNCTAD should play an important role to contribute to the global efforts to address the new challenges of the world. He called on everyone to close ranks and continue the cooperation and partnership because this is vital for the United Nations work in the field of development, and perhaps the next four years will provide unique opportunities. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage believed that in 2015 the International Community will determine a post-2015 development agenda, with all its richness and diversity, adding that in 2014 the UNCTAD will celebrate its 50th anniversary, as well as the developing countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing the Group of 77, calling on to seize the opportunities to bring about change. Regarding the Qatari role, HE the Minister stressed that Qatar has the honor to preside over the UNCTAD XIII, pointing out that the road to the future will not be easy. HE Dr. Al Kuwari noted to the efforts made by the Member States in the 13th Conference in Doha, saying that the UNCTAD has to play an important role to contribute to the global efforts to face the new challenges in the world. He also explained that the UNCTAD XIII had come out with remarkable results, which thus offer a new narrative of the activities of UNCTAD for the next four years, adding that these results will help in collectively addressing the challenges. Noting to the Doha Conference, HE Dr. Al Kuwari said that they had went out with a vision of the new reality and the emerging challenges that should be identified and understood to effectively address them. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage said that the Rio +20 Conference highlighted the threats to the sustainable development and there are other processes that will emerge the threats of displacement and desertification as well as other problems some of which appear difficult to be resolved, and some else seem to be more frustrating. He said that more progress can be achieved if there is political will, which is a global economic governance. This area has an impact on all other areas and it is the key to the success of the global economic agenda, he added. Meanwhile, HE Dr. Al Kuwari said that the results of the UNCTAD reflect a message condemning the problem of poverty in everywhere and that the current global crisis caused poverty in places we never imagined in the past, noting that the important means in this regard are ensuring the flow of world trade and benefiting from the successful efforts to make trade more oriented towards development as well as the successful conclusion of the Doha Round of negotiations. (QNA)