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His Excellency Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti, Vice Chairman of the Consultative Council, affirmed that the Council is keen to strengthen and apply parliamentary diplomacy to expand Qatar’s external relations, consolidate its international position and support its efforts to preserve and maintain international peace.
This was stated in an interview with Qatar News Agency on the occasion of the International Parliamentary Action Day celebrated every year on 30 June, which the Council celebrates this year under the slogan “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for Peace and Reconciliation.”
His Excellency said that the celebration of the International Day of Parliamentary Action provides an important opportunity for the Consultative Assembly, as well as parliaments and legislative councils around the world, to highlight the important role that parliaments play in promoting popular participation, good governance and supporting development efforts.
She added: “Celebrating this day is a recognition of the importance of parliamentary institutions in formulating policies and laws that serve the interest of the people and enhancing popular participation in decision-making. It is also an appropriate opportunity to educate the public on various policies and international issues and challenges”.
She also pointed out that, through this celebration, the Consultative Council reviewed the progress achieved in the work of the Parliament of the State of Qatar and highlighted the efforts made by the Consultative Council in the use of parliamentary diplomacy, building relations with various parliaments and strengthening cooperation with international organizations.
Dr. Hamda Sulaiti noted that the slogan of this year’s celebrations profoundly reflects the importance of parliamentary work in achieving peace, justice and sustainable development.
She explained that this slogan sends a message to parliaments around the world, calling for the need to build consensus, strengthen international cooperation and solidarity, and involve all sectors of society, including women and youth, in parliamentary work to ensure comprehensive and sustainable development when addressing global challenges such as terrorism, extremism, armed conflicts, climate challenges and environmental protection.
She stressed that the Shura Council achieves these goals through its work and active participation in parliamentary diplomacy efforts, international parliamentary activities and its stance in support of Arab and Islamic issues, adding: “The Council is the voice of the citizen, expressing his views and aspirations, and therefore, it conveys it to the world through its participation in parliamentary activities. “The voice of the Qatari street expresses its stance on various issues.”
In a related context, she noted the importance of the Council’s efforts to strengthen the role of women and youth through conferences and gatherings related to both groups and to provide all measures to consolidate their role in society.
With regard to the promotion of peace, she said that the Consultative Council had emphasized in bilateral and multilateral meetings issues related to peace, dialogue and understanding among peoples, and to the consolidation of relations with parliaments and the IPU.
In this regard, noting that the Shura Council plays a vital and effective role in the activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and its various programmes, she said: “The Council regularly participates in international conferences and presents proposals aimed at promoting international cooperation and achieving common goals.” It also seeks to implement best parliamentary practices and exchange experiences with other parliaments, “which helps to strengthen international cooperation and achieve common goals.”
His Excellency the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council spoke of Qatar’s hosting of the 140th Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and its ancillary meetings in 2019, which were considered among the Union’s most successful, with a large attendance and high international resonance.
She continued: “The role of the Shura Council is appreciated by the IPU and friendly parliaments, with the President of the IPU, Dr. Tullia Akesson, praising it at the Preparatory Committee for the 6th World Conference for the Speakers’ Conference and the 15th Conference of Women Parliamentarians held in Geneva last May, “for its effective role and support for the activities of the Union”.
She also stated that, at the same meeting, the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, His Excellency Mr. Martin Jongog, commended the State of Qatar and the Shura Council for their positions in support of issues and themes related to peacebuilding and security, and commended the Council for its effective participation in the Union’s subsidiary committees, as well as its contribution and efforts in chairing the Security Council and the Inter-Parliamentary Union International Peace.
His Excellency Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti, Vice Chairman of the Consultative Council, stressed that the Consultative Council’s active participation in international parliamentary initiatives reflects Qatar’s active diplomacy, which provides a model worthy of emulation worldwide. Our international initiatives, including the establishment of the United Nations Office of Parliamentary Engagement Programme, reflect our support for the international community’s efforts to fight terrorism and promote security and peace, and also enhance our image “as a pioneer country in promoting cooperation, dialogue and understanding among peoples.”
She added: “The Shura Council contributes to supporting mediation efforts in Qatar by providing parliamentary support for government initiatives aimed at resolving disputes. It also works to build bridges with other parliaments to exchange experiences and best practices in the field of mediation. In addition to contributing to the development of policies and legislation, it also supports mediation efforts and promotes understanding among peoples.”
She noted that the international community has appreciated and commended Qatar’s efforts in the field of mediation and conflict resolution, including by national parliaments, coalitions and regional and international parliamentary organizations.
“We have seen this appreciation through bilateral meetings and meetings with Parliament and legislative committees, as well as during participation in various parliamentary events,” she said.
Regarding the role that parliaments and the IPU need to play in responding to conflicts, wars and other challenges, she stressed the importance of adopting joint policies aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving them peacefully, in addition to strengthening the oversight role of parliaments, in order to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity and ensure that Governments fulfil their international obligations in the areas of human rights and sustainable development.
In this context, the Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Council also called for strengthening inter-parliamentary dialogue, exchanging experiences and best practices in the field of combating terrorism and extremism, and working to provide support and assistance to countries affected by conflicts and disasters.
His Excellency called on parliaments to put pressure on their governments to work to prevent humanitarian violations during wars and conflicts, to force all parties to abide by international norms, conventions and relevant laws, and to raise the slogan of resolving conflicts through dialogue rather than war, as well as the need to communicate effectively with the United Nations and work to develop the organization and its reforms to achieve the aspirations of the people of the world.
In this context, she stressed the importance of the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in addressing conflicts and wars, and called on it to develop working mechanisms to have a greater impact on this issue as challenges that undermine peace worsen, strengthen cooperation and coordination among member parliaments, and give full play to the role of specialized committees on peace and security issues.
She also pointed out that it is important to strengthen the technical capacity of the League by providing training programmes for parliamentarians in the field of mediation and conflict resolution, in addition to strengthening the League’s role in monitoring the implementation of international resolutions on conflicts and wars and submitting periodic reports highlighting challenges and achievements in this area.
Concluding her conversation with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Her Excellency the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council stressed the importance of the role of parliaments in achieving security, peace and sustainable development, and stressed the need to continue serious efforts to strengthen this role. She called on parliaments to step up their efforts to promote dialogue and understanding among peoples and work together to create a better future for all humanity.
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