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QNA
Doha
THE Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, together with the Permanent Delegation of Monaco, the United Nations Department of Global Communication, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the United Nations Office for Partnerships organised an event on the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace at the headquarters of the UN in New York.
The aim of the event was to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which falls on April 6, and to enhance awareness of the significant, tangible and positive contributions of sport to the goals of sustainable development.
The organisers of the event also sought to inspire influential individuals and sport-related institutions to commit themselves to playing a greater role in advancing the goals of sustainable development.
The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif al Thani welcomed the participants and said Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 for the first time in the Middle East, which is a great opportunity for the region and the Arab world. She said the event acts as an incentive for Qatar and the region to advance social progress and to build a better tomorrow for future generations.
In this context, the ambassador highlighted the ‘Generation Amazing’ initiative launched by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC). She explained that this initiative seeks to enhance the ability of sport to encourage social change and break social barriers, and seeks to use football for development and for addressing social issues in countries with specific needs, in line with the goals of sustainable development.
She also noted that Qatar is one of the few countries which have dedicated a national day of sport and expressed Qatar’s deep belief that the world is a better place when people gather through sport to advance and grow societies.
Sheikha Alia also expressed Qatar’s firm belief that sport is the key to the empowerment of females, peaceful families and communities and, as a result, to the realisation of sustainable development goals.
For her part, Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Ahmed said that sports could help promote respect and contribute to empowering women and youth, in addition to the role it can play in promoting health. She said the United Nations recognises the power of sports in achieving common goals and added that realising the goals of the 2030 sustainable development plan would require strong partnerships between all segments of the society, especially young people and communities.
In this context, she referred to the work of the United Nations with the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to raise global awareness of the goals of sustainable development. She also noted the work done with FIFA to raise awareness of the goals of sustainable development.
For his part, Secretary-General of the SC Hassan al Thawadi said that Qatar is doing all it can to make the World Cup 2022 more than football. He said the World Cup would help to culturally connect the Middle-East with the rest of the world. He also reviewed the steps taken by Qatar in terms of completing the required infrastructure for the project and highlighted the legislation adopted by the country to guarantee the rights of expatriate workers.
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06/04/2019
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