As usual in its 20th edition, Doha Forum has brought together a distinguished group of thought-leaders and policy makers to discuss areas of geopolitical and international relations, global financial system and economic development, defense, cyber and food security along with issues of climate change and sustainability.
As a global platform for dialogue, the forum brought together leaders in policy to discuss critical challenges facing the world, means of tackling global shared challenges and look for solutions and opportunities to build innovative and action-driven networks. This year’s theme, ‘Transforming for a New Era’, reflects the concern about the political and economic changes the world is witnessing while emerging from COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme also reflects the role of Qatar in promoting dialogue between nations and governments as global challenges have forced governments to stand united and advance inventive solutions to rising common threats. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani addressed the opening session of Doha Forum yesterday, stressing the a pivotal stage the world has reached today on all political, economic, environmental, and social levels, which are all issues requiring radical revisions to spare the world from reaching a state of imbalance.
H H the Amir shed light on issues that need global joint action such as environment and climate change, peoples’ livelihood, the social and economic gap among states and within a single society which reflects in forms of horrific increase in global poverty rates.
The Amir warned against the exclusionary populist voices, which have been rising in recent years, are the phenomenon of Islamophobia and expansion of military and armed solutions which began to grow during the last four decades and reached its most challenging peaks in the current Ukrainian war.
The Amir also emphasised: “The firm position of the State of Qatar on the renunciation of violence, intimidating civilians and assaulting states’ sovereignty and all other acts that may constitute a violation of human values and international laws. We stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people and refugees who have been victimised by this unjust war and geopolitical calculations”.
The Amir reminded the world that millions of Palestinians, Syrians and Afghans have been suffering for long and the international community failed to render justice. H H expressed the future aspirations of the peoples by saying: “The new age that we dream is the era of peace, security and coexistence for all, the era of social justice, the era in which all people can access their basic needs in education, health, water resources, and living with dignity, and where they can fulfill themselves and exercise their lifestyle and cultures”.
