Qatar seeks to be global hub for culture

The State of Qatar has stressed that culture is a key element of human development and an important factor in the social integration and poverty eradication. In line with its National Vision 2030, Qatar seeks to become a global hub for culture and the development of cultural institutions, a cultural instigator and a catalyst for cultural projects worldwide. This came in a statement of the State of Qatar delivered by HE Third Secretary at Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Thani during the Thematic Debate on Culture and Sustainable Development in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The statement noted the important role played by the UNESCO and its efforts in promoting issues related to education, since and culture, especially in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The statement noted to the need for further efforts to take a holistic and integrated approach to the sustainable development, taking into account the importance of cultural diversity and adjusting the developmental approach to national circumstances and local contexts in order to achieve sustainable development in addition to the protection of cultural and biological diversity, adding that natural heritage is critical for the achievement of development sustainable. HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Thani explained in the statement that the culture contributes to peace and security, saying that it is a valuable resource to enable local communities to fully participate in the social and cultural life, to facilitate the comprehensive management and dialogue at the national, regional and international organizations, to prevent conflicts and resolve them and to achieve reconciliation and recovery. HE also pointed out to the State of Qatar’s chairmanship of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the year 2014 and Qatar Museums Authority which became a member of the World Heritage Committee in 2011 and seeks to develop, promote and support museums, arts and heritage in accordance to the highest international standards of education and exchange between communities in Qatar and abroad. Regarding the implementation of the successful cultural policies by the authority that contributed to the selection of Doha to be the “Capital of Arab Culture 2010″, HE said “we in Qatar believe that the culture has a great importance in the overall development policies, both linked to the education or the environment,” considering that educating children and young people through creative and high-quality programs provided by qualified specialists is an essential investment in the development of communities. At the end of the statement, HE Third Secretary at Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Thani emphasised the need to take into account the contributions of culture and its central role in achieving development in the formulation of national, development, regional and international policies as well as the need to give the issue of culture a special importance in the goals of sustainable development and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.