Doha Forum’s debate

Doha Forum’s debate

Dr. Jassim Taqui

The Doha Forum discussed some very important issues over 10 long sessions (21—23 May, 2016).

Participants discussed the 'Role of Civil Society in Achieving Development. In her speech , CEO of Qatar Social Work Foundation, Amal Abdullatif Al Mannai, stressed the importance of involving civil society in the development agenda as a key partner for both the government and private sector. She praised the Qatari experience in dealing with civil society organizations and paving the way for them to serve various segments of society.

Secretary General of Sultan Qaboos Centre for Culture and Sciences Habib bin Mohammed Al Rayami addressed the importance of involving civil society organizations in the process of building communities.

Dean of Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs Eric Schwartz also spoke about the relationship between civil society organizations and governments. He pointed out the well-being of communities was based mainly on the existence of an active and effective civil society able to push governments to re-examine economic, social and development policies.

The session : Energy: Global Status and Challenges focused on the opportunities to overcome the energy crisis in the world.

The session was chaired by Pakistan's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Dr. Syed Tauqir Shah.

Addressing the Session,  Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Chairman of Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, said the energy market was marked over the last 40 years by price volatility, stressing that market prices were determined by the economic law of supply and demand.

“ OPEC has no longer a strong ability to influence oil prices as its share of global oil production is 30 percent”  , he said, urging countries that rely on oil and gas to diversify their economy.

Dr. Antonio Isa Conde, Minister of Energy and Mines of the Dominican Republic, briefed the participants on his country's economy which established itself as the most robust in the Latin America while the urban population is estimated at more than 70 percent of total population.

“ Such achievement is the result of the adoption of a sustainable development system, coming up with affordable energy sources and by reducing dependence on oil. ” he stated. 

“ The drop in oil prices has forced the Dominican Republic not only to diversify its energy sources but also to store crude oil and move forward in using various types of renewable energy resources-such as wind and solar energy to diversify the nation's energy portfolio, “ he said.

The Minister For Power, Energy and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh, Nasrul Hamid, said “ relying on 'free' solar energy is the future. Bangladesh  uses  this clean and renewable energy on a large scale however it cannot implement giant projects due to lack of vast lands to be used for this purpose.”

Dr. Ibrahim al Ibrahim, Economic Adviser to the Emiri Diwan, said  that  Qatar had expected decline in oil prices. Therefore, Doha  developed five-year plan and long-term plans to cope with the situation . He was referring to the Qatar National Vision 2030. It takes into account the new reality of the world and includes action plans based on its experiences.

In this context, Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development  in Vienna, Suleiman J. Al-Herbish ruled out the possibility of achieving sustainable development at the social, economic and environmental levels without relying on energy. He stressed that oil would remain the primary source. 

On the security issue, The Doha Forum hosted a Session , which brought together a number of UN officials along with Foreign and Defense ministers.

The Participants stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation to combat extremism and violence. They called upon the UN to play its role without any discrimination. They demanded the  implementation of pending UNSC resolutions on resolving regional conflicts, the role of women, the fair distribution of wealth and the launch of new initiatives aimed at protecting human rights, eliminating violence and counter terrorism.

In this context,  Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Nasr, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations stressed that extremism and terrorist operations represented a threat to international peace and security and widened the gap between the communities and states. He pointed out  that extremists and terrorist groups sought  to spread hatred and violence among the communities in violation of the UN Charter and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

Sheraton Hotel, Doha that hosted the Forum and participants offered excellent services , which contributed to the success of the deliberations.