Secretary-General Commends Qatar for Its Generosity to Assist Most Vulnerable, in Remarks at Opening of United Nations House
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the United Nations House in Qatar, in Doha today:
It’s an honour to join you, your highness, to inaugurate this magnificent new United Nations House.
I have to say that when I saw it, I had a huge temptation. Temptation to consult the President of the General Assembly to know if I can participate online in the meetings of the General Assembly from an office here. If that would be possible, sincerely think of moving to Doha.
Because this is more than just a building. It is a place to unite the work of the United Nations in Qatar and beyond — bringing together development, humanitarian and diplomatic work under one roof.
It is also a symbol of our strategic partnership with Qatar. We live in a time of enormous global challenges — from conflicts, climate change and mass displacement, to poverty, hunger and deep inequalities. These challenges cry out for collaboration on a global scale. They demand that all countries stand in solidarity to find solutions. This spirit of collaboration and solidarity has defined the United Nations partnership with Qatar from the very start.
From Qatar’s generosity to assist the most vulnerable, to your steadfast support of the Sustainable Development Goals, to your extremely valuable contribution to the work of the United Nations fighting terrorism and violent extremism, to your efforts to bring people together around solutions to address challenges like climate change and to advance mediation efforts in the region and further beyond.
As the video we just watched clearly demonstrated, our strategic partnership is growing stronger by the year, on a wide range of issues.
And this week’s fifth Conference on the Least Developed Countries is yet another example of Qatar’s global commitment. With the Doha Programme of Action, this city is now synonymous with a road map for the world to deliver progress and results for the hundreds of millions of people who call least developed countries home.
Least developed countries need the United Nations the most. And this week, we gather in Doha to discuss the solutions that can lift one eighth of humanity out of poverty and keep them there on a sustainable basis.
Tomorrow, I will outline some key areas where we need to rapidly expand support for least developed countries. But solutions depend on close cooperation with partners like Qatar. And I am confident that work will flourish here in our new home. On behalf of the United Nations family, I want to deeply thank the Government and people of Qatar.
We are deeply honoured by the commitment of Qatar to strengthen our work together. I look forward to building on our close collaboration — and I wish the Qatari people many years of happiness and the Qatari Government many years of productive work supporting United Nations efforts and with this House creating the conditions to demonstrate that this strategic partnership is also a fantastic tribute to modernity to beauty and to — I would say — the brotherhood between the State of Qatar and the United Nations and the international community. Shukran.