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Qatar affirms resolve to strengthen UNCTAD, remain engaged

17 September 2012

The President of the UNCTAD XIII conference held in Doha, Qatar in April this year, H.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage, addressed the opening plenary of UNCTAD's Trade and Development Board today and affirmed Qatar's commitment to "strengthen UNCTAD, and to continue our strong and focused engagement."

Recalling that arriving at a consensus on the negotiated outcome document in Doha at UNCTAD XIII was not an easy task, especially in the context of the "magnitude of the global challenges," Dr. Al-Kawari said the Doha Mandate and the Doha Manar documents that were adopted demonstrated that the international community could bridge its differences, address difficult issues, and embrace the spirit of consensus and compromise.

The Minister termed “development-centred globalization” a fitting theme for the quadrennial conference, and said it has resulted in a “challenging yet rewarding” set of outcomes for the organization and its member States.

UNCTAD can and should continue to serve as a unique and valuable venue for the exchange of ideas, a place where countries may freely discuss issues that inform “the global discourse on development,” he said.

He cited as examples of what contributions UNCTAD can make as:

  • Definition and articulation of new global goals on inclusiveness of the multilateral trading system and building of economic capacities in the review process of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

  • Contribute ideas on overcoming the global financial crisis, especially from the perspective of the trade and financial implications for developing countries.

  • Contribute to the implementation of the Rio+20 outcomes, and the process to define sustainable development goals.