HH the Emir Calls for Efforts to Achieve Millennium Goals

Rio de Janeiro, June 21 (QNA) - HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has underlined that the world is currently facing three major challenges the first of which is laxity in respect for the laws and procedures regulating economic and financial activities which led to the decline of social justice within states. The second is the low level of international cooperation against common challenges, which hinder the success of national development in spite of the succession of conferences, while the third challenge is centered on the achievement of the requirements of sustainable development at the national level, foremost of which being the availability of political stability, and development strategies that go in line with the general economic goals, HH the Emir said. In this respect, HH the Emir stressed that all of these challenges need expedited effective and collective action to make progress regarding those issues and the translation of the Millennium Development Goals into a tangible reality for all, and the formulation and development of new development goals beyond 2015. This came in a speech HH the Emir gave before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ( Rio + 20), currently under way in Rio de Janeiro, delivered on his behalf by HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Chairman of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, President-elect of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. In reference to the Arab spring HH the Emir considered that the factors of poverty, unemployment and social marginalization , corruption and lack of freedom and human rights provoke popular protest and undermine stability which is necessary for growth. HH the Emir said: "This underlines the urgency of social development issues at the heart of all attempts of reform, change and progress and the need to close link between social, economic and environmental development and the citizen's decent living and secured stability. " On the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, HH the Emir noted that the presentation made by the United Nations General Assembly to assess performance with regard to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals showed that progress that has been made began to decline, while all indicators confirmed that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, specifically reducing the levels of poverty and hunger by half by the year 2015, has become a far-reaching goal for many countries. HH the Emir called for the follow-up of efforts and continuation of cooperation in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals in the poorest countries, even if that was delayed to after the set date, expressing the hope that access to the formulation of more ambitious development goals taking into account urgent developments would be reached. HH the emir pointed out that the State of Qatar is at the forefront of countries that have reduced emissions by 14 per cent in 2010, adding that Qatar plays an important role in the region with regards to face the challenges posed by economic and political changes. In this context the State of Qatar has adopted through Qatar National Vision 2030 ambitious targets based on global partnerships to achieve development, HH the Emir said. He praised efforts of the UN aimed to promote sustainable development, including the introduction of the green economy concept as a major theme for the conference, considering that such effort is an attempt to give the sustainable development new momentum to overcome the problems that hindered achieving its goals, especially with regard to social and environmental pillars. Concluding, HH the Emir stressed that Qatar believes that tackling environmental issues is a shared responsibility to which all countries should contribute, confirming that Qatar's hosting the Climate Change Conference (COP 18) emanates from its belief in this responsibility. (END)