The humanitarian and social efforts of the State of Qatar continue at all levels, sometimes through direct support, and shedding light on issues in which the victims are children and women. The world remembers well the initiative of H H Sheikha Moza bin Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, which was adopted by the UNGA establishing September 9 as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
The resolution approved by consensus aims to mobilize global advocacy to ensure accountability for the continued, deliberate attacks on education and the prevalent armed violence experienced by children worldwide. No doubt that the international day provides an annual platform where the international community can assess the situations and review progress and make commitments towards effective mechanisms to end impunity for those who attack schools and target children.
The State of Qatar reiterated its commitment to protecting children in armed conflicts and its support for international efforts to achieve this goal, as Qatar strongly believe that the international community has the primary responsibility to provide protection to all children. Therefore Qatar spares no effort to support initiatives aimed to protect children and provide them with environments conducive to their development in safe and healthy conditions.
Thus protection of children from the devastating effects of the conflict, as well as to protect education from attacks are on top of Qatar’s priorities, as stressed by H E Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while inaugurating at UN Headquarters in New York, a photo exhibition on children and armed conflict under the title “From Despair to Hope: Children beyond Armed Conflict”. As the aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness to the plight children affected by armed conflict, who are in the most desperate need of protection and educational support, the exhibition shed lights on children's situations in the countries suffered for long from wars and turmoil in the Middle East, where most of the victims were children and women. Therefore, the exhibition included collection of photographs of children from Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Darfur, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other places of conflict, by British photojournalist Paddy Dowling.
Qatar's efforts confirm its commitment and convictions that the best way to provide full protection for children in areas affected by armed conflicts around the world is to work to bring peace, security and stability.
