Doha, 19 January 2018 – The President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, addressed the Doha Regional Dialogue on Sustaining Peace, in Doha, Qatar, on 18 January.
In his remarks, he said, “Sustaining Peace is happening. But it is the exception – not the norm. We need to do more to showcase these best practices”
Calling for a “new approach to peace”, he said support and action are needed at all stages of a conflict cycle. Those stages include when political tensions are on the rise; when warring parties show willingness to talk; and after a peace deal has been signed. The President also highlighted the importance of financing. He said United Nations resources for peace are currently concentrated on military peacekeeping missions. But there is a chronic shortfall of funding to build or preserve peace. He called for partnerships between the United Nations and other actors, including the private sector. And he said he hoped that the discussions at the Doha Regional Dialogue would feed into his high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, which will be held on 24 and ‪25 April‬, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
During his two-day visit to the State of Qatar, the President met bilaterally with H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and other Qatari officials, including H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H. E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Co-founder and Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
In his meetings, the President discussed his priorities for 2018, in particular conflict prevention; his upcoming events on water, sustaining peace, youth and financing for sustainable development; and the regional situation in the Gulf. The President stressed the importance of education and that investment in education and human capital will lead to a better future for young generations.
Touching upon two of his priorities, namely sustaining peace and engagement with young people, Mr. Lajčák met with students, think tanks, analysts and the diplomatic corps at The Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and discussed with them the role of the United Nations in conflict prevention in 21st century.
The President also visited the Qatar Foundation and an exhibit on human trafficking at the Msheireb Museums.
This morning, the President travelled to Rome to meet with the Holy See and his Team of External Advisors.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Sharifa Al-Nesf, Communications Adviser to the President of the General Assembly, Sharifa.alnesf@un.org, ‪+1 (917) 367-3150‬