Doha, September 22 (QNA) – The State of Qatar’s hosting of the United Nations House confirms that Doha has become a hub for multilateral action regionally and internationally, and a reliable platform for dialogue and cooperation between active parties to confront global challenges.

Alongside its offices and specialized bodies affiliated with the international organizations, the UN House in Qatar represents a unique model of the strategic partnership that has reached advanced levels between the State of Qatar and the UN. It is also the result of tireless efforts based on a long history of relations extending over decades between the two sides.

The UN House is not merely a building in the State of Qatar, but rather a monument to unify the efforts of the agencies and institutions affiliated with the international organization both in Qatar and abroad, as it brings together development, humanitarian and diplomatic actors under one roof, and stands as a witness to the unlimited support provided by the State of Qatar to bring about the aspired change in the lives of millions around the globe.

Inaugurated in March 2023, the UN House accommodates 12 offices of significant UN agencies and organizations, including UN International Labour Organization (ILO), World Health Organization (WHO), UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other bodies.

The UN House in Qatar also includes the Analysis and Communication Center of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the UN office for Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and an international center concerned with applying behavioral insights to violent extremism and countering terrorism, in addition to the office concerned with parliamentary engagement in preventing and combating terrorism.

The establishment of the UN House in Qatar highlights many aspects of the strategic partnership between the State of Qatar and the international organization, and it also reflects Qatar’s contribution and influential presence in the model advocated by the UN at the regional and international levels; a model of multilateral collective action, through which Qatari diplomacy has achieved remarkable outcomes at various levels.

Since its inauguration in Doha, the UN House has played a growing role in highlighting the international and regional status of the UN and the State of Qatar, as a center for initiatives and programs that address development and peace issues, as well as a gateway for UN’s humanitarian and diplomatic work in the region and around the globe.

In this regard, HE Administrator of UNDP Achim Steiner said in previous statements with Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the UN House in Doha is “both a practical and a policy opportunity. Practical because it gives us the possibility of housing our staff and our experts in Doha in an optimal working environment, and it has allowed us to deepen the cooperation between different parts of the State of Qatar and institutions that are also operating out of Doha. So very practical, but also very promising in terms of future cooperation.”
The presence of the UN House has many benefits for both the State of Qatar and the UN, the most prominent of which is the ease of making the necessary decision. It also helps to recognize the projects and programs that Qatar is interested in and in which it makes significant efforts, including development and humanitarian projects, which reflects the strategic importance of the State of Qatar on the international humanitarian map.

The large presence of the international organization in Doha also contributes to achieving a rapid response and close coordination between the various parties in the State of Qatar and the United UN organizations, especially since Qatar and the UN share a keenness to maintain international peace and security, support international development efforts, and promote human rights, which happen to be the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The parties concerned with the United Nations consider the State of Qatar an important partner of the institutions and organizations affiliated with the UN, given that the presence of these offices in Qatar helps strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between the two sides and supports effort to provide humanitarian aid, especially since these offices help in facilitating the mechanisms of identifying the required needs and providing them as quickly as possible. The presence of the UN House, alongside the offices and specialized bodies affiliated with the international organization, in Qatar, helps accelerate the implementation of projects that are preceded by field studies of actual needs. The UN works effortlessly to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and relies on the strategic role played by the State of Qatar in this regard. From this standpoint, the UN is keen to strengthen the strategic partnership with the State of Qatar for the future sustainable development, as the UN Development Program (UNDP) works with several institutions and entities in the State of Qatar as strategic partners of the UN. Qatar’s initiative to host the International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism as part of the UN House offices in Doha comes in recognition of the urgent need for collective and joint action in areas such as combating terrorism and extremism – with the UN’s important role in coordinating multilateral action, and in view of the scientific and practical environment provided by the State of Qatar, which is a suitable incubator for such an international hub. The establishment of the international hub also confirms Qatar’s keenness to continue its cooperation with the UN agencies concerned with combating terrorism, in full accordance with its policies of condemning all terrorist acts regardless of the place or time they were committed or their motives and justifications, including the use of terrorist methods motivated by racism, ethnicity or ideology. The State of Qatar is a founding member of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which coordinates initiatives with 30 countries. Qatar is also an active member of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes GCC countries and the US, and aims to confront new and evolving terrorist financing threats. The International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism is also one of the major successful partnership projects between the State of Qatar and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. Since it was launched in Doha in 2020, the hub has achieved remarkable success in terms of guidance, awareness and strengthening of efforts to combat extremism and violent behavior around the globe. The unlimited Qatari support for the efforts of the UN and its various offices, institutions and bodies around the globe confirms that the State of Qatar has become a reliable and indispensable partner for implementing the various initiatives and programs of the international organization regionally and internationally. Qatar contributes effectively to helping specialized UN organizations and agencies to optimally implement their mandates and competencies in the fields and areas of peacebuilding, sustainable development, climate, health, education, and humanitarian work, in addition to mediation in resolving disputes, in line with the vision and strategy of the State of Qatar to achieve economic and social development locally, regionally, and internationally. At the end, the ultimate goal is to build a world governed by the values of peace, justice, and fairness. (QNA)