Doha, Qatar– Qatar is preparing to inaugurate the UN House in Doha, on the sidelines of the fifth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) which will be held in the capital from March 5-9.
Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador, said UN’s choosing of Doha to open offices for its agencies and organizations “carries a very important and indicative message that it is an active and reliable partner of the United Nations in facing challenges and their effects in the region”.
“Stability, prosperity and space for freedoms in the country allow those organizations to work freely and independently, in line with the standards adopted by the United Nations,” Al-Thani said, according to QNA.
The UN houses include offices for important international organizations, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), the regional cybercrime training and capacity-building center, and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in addition to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Office of the UN Development Program, International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism in Doha, the Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism and United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
Since its accession to the international organization, Qatar has been one of the largest supporters of the international organization and continues to provide financial contributions to many of its affiliated bodies and entities.
The year 2018 was one of the most important stations in the process of cooperation and partnership between the two sides, as it witnessed the signing of several agreements on the sidelines Doha Forum’s activities, one of its most prominent fruits was the establishment of the ‘United Nations House.’
The agreements included providing $500 million support for UN organizations and the establishment of four new UN offices in Doha. They also included a pledge by Qatar to provide annual support to UNDP, UNICEF, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and UNHCR.
The year 2021 witnessed the signing of two agreements between Qatar and the United Nations to open two new offices in Doha, an office of the United Nations Development Program to support efforts and ways to achieve sustainable development goals globally, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which will undertake the United Nations mission of coordinating global humanitarian operations through partnerships with national and international bodies.
The same year also witnessed the inauguration of the UNOCT Program Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, which is considered the first of its kind in the world, and it aims to assist all parliaments of the countries of the world through its programs and activities aimed at supporting the efforts of the international community in preventing and combating terrorism.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shaheen Ali Al Kaabi said the UN House in Doha includes several offices of United Nations agencies and their affiliated organizations to respond quickly to humanitarian crises, climate change problems, resolve conflicts, combat the threat of terrorism and violent extremism, address the flow of refugees, and to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.