Qatar's delegation, led by Minister of Education and Higher Education and Chairperson of the Qatari National Commission for Education, Culture and Science H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, participated in the 42nd Unesco General Conference being held from November 7 to 22, 2023 at the organization’s headquarters in Paris. The Unesco General Conference was attended by the Ambassador of Qatar to the French Republic H E Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani and a number of officials from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The Minister also took part in the High-level Ministerial Meeting on Education for Peace held on the sidelines of the Unesco General Conference.
Minister of Education and Higher Education delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the Conference emphasizing the central role of education in achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the positive impact of education in building and unlocking individuals’ potential. The Minister noted that selecting Qatar among the leading countries in the field of transformation of education by the Secretary-General of the United Nations last year reaffirms the State’s strong commitment and role in supporting education.
The Minister praised Unesco’s efforts to achieve and implement the Education 2030 agenda, stressing Qatar’s support for achieving its goals of promoting intercultural dialogue and rejecting violence, hatred, discrimination, and racism to promote peace among nations, and exchanging experiences and best practices. She emphasized the role of the international community in general, and Unesco in particular, in taking all measures to address the violations of international and humanitarian laws to which the Palestinian people are exposed, especially children, women, and the elderly. She reiterated Qatar’s firm position on the justice of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, particularly their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Minister reviewed some national initiatives and achievements in the areas of education, environment, sustainability, youth, sports, and culture at the local, regional, and international levels. In this context, the State of Qatar, through Education Above All, provided educational opportunities to nearly 15 million children deprived of primary education through the implementation of over 95 projects worldwide. She noted the launching of the currently held Doha 2023 Horticulture Expo under the slogan “A Green Desert, Better Environment” with the participation of 82 countries and international organizations to promote sustainable innovation and combat desertification.
The Minister also praised Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the 18th Asian Football Cup Tournament in Qatar scheduled for 2024 and Qatar’s candidacy for membership in the Unesco Executive Board for the period 2023-2027. Speaking at the High-level Ministerial Meeting on Education for Peace, the Minister of Education and Higher Education emphasized the role of education as a means to promote the values of tolerance and peace among peoples and combating divisions during the current global challenges, quoting the words of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that education is a pillar for all those who seek peace and security to prevail in the world and has become a social right and an integral part of human rights.
