The 19th edition of the Doha Forum 2019 has come to an end on Sunday December 15. The two-day forum, which is a global platform for dialogue, was held this year under the theme “Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World”, in the presence of opinion leaders and policymakers from around the world, to discuss the challenges facing our world, and put forward applicable innovative solutions.
The two-day forum was attended by nearly 3,000 decision makers, policy experts and thought leaders, and included more than 250 speakers, as well as hosting a series of interviews and meetings on various points of view, which are broadcast throughout the year through the forum’s website.
The closing session witnessed a speech delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif, in which he stressed the importance of the Doha Forum in providing a unique opportunity to reflect on ways to get us out of the impasse in the region.
He spoke of what he called the “perceptual turmoil” that deludes a person to benefit at the expense of his neighbor and that his security is based on chaos among others, and he indicated the disparity of powers and their disastrous consequences, citing as an example the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of dialogue, respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, rejection of force and methods of repression, and agreement on work teams to find solutions and establish cooperation and draw a road map for the future with the establishment of areas free of weapons of destruction, confidence-building between countries, water management, nuclear safety and freedom of maritime navigation.
He affirmed at the conclusion of his speech that the world has the opportunity to change course once and for all to improve people’s lives and enhance future generations, calling for seizing this opportunity.
After the speech of the Iranian Foreign Minister, the Doha Forum 2019 celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations by holding a session addressed by President of the United Nations General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a number of UN officials and organisations of public benefit.
Speakers noted that the United Nations, despite its crises and criticism, is a symbol of pluralism and is the basis on which the world rests on many issues that threaten humanity. It intervened to resolve conflicts and established many important principles for humanity, and promoted people’s awareness of climate change and environmental issues, ending slavery, empowering women and people with disabilities, and protecting children.
They stressed the importance of involving youth and women in achieving development goals and promoting pluralism and social inclusion through cooperation with civil society organizations and the private sector to put an end to what drives people to migrate and be displaced.
They emphasized that the United Nations is present everywhere in the world, especially the troubled ones, and the places of wars and disputes take risks to bring about change and play fundamental roles in stopping wars, reducing conflicts, reconnecting and interconnecting people.
After the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, President Nayib Bukele of the Republic of El Salvador, made a speech in which he stated that the civilization in which we live has fulfilled three basic criteria that allow humanity to reform all the fundamental problems.
He indicated that the first criterion is globalization, which has existed to remain despite the great losses it has caused in the world. It has eliminated thousands of jobs, destroyed cities and bankrupted institutions, but now the world has become globalized, and all of our lives are global in nature. He added that the second criterion is interconnectedness through the Internet, which its use expanded dramatically and millions of wealthy people emerged because of it and hit the economies of countries. Nevertheless, it evolved and became an important part of our lives we cannot live without, and the world has become amazingly interconnected so that the East interacts with the West. As for the third criterion, it is production, the world is living a productive revolution, and a person produces more than he consumes. Thousands of tons of food and medicine are received daily, while millions of people die from starvation and the lack of medicines.
He added that the riches in the world are sufficient to stop climate change and all the conflicts around the world and provide a decent life for all, noting that “the world is now globalized and connected, more productive than its consumption capacity, so we are obligated to create a world that civilizations dream about and generations enjoy in the future, but if we want that”.
Related Stories