Qatar: Pandemic crisis a reminder to face new challenges

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations H E Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani affirmed that the global health crisis is a reminder to everyone of the world’s shared destiny, and an incentive to renew commitment to international cooperation and increase support for international institutions to face new challenges.  The Ambassador indicated that Qatar has followed a comprehensive approach in containing the pandemic and its effects at the national and international levels. Ambassador Sheikha Alya was delivering a speech at the UN Security Council session in the Arria formula on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international efforts to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism, held on June 16, 2021. The Ambassador explained that countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism are among the countless areas in which countries have had to strive to know how to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shift in the environment, methods of policies and practices. She noted that when it comes to countering terrorism and preventing and combating violent extremism, this challenge is even greater, as everyone faces the malicious intentions of terrorist groups to exploit and respond to the vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic to pass on their criminal schemes and activities.  The Ambassador added that these groups have been seeking to increase recruitment and incite more hatred and fear by exploiting growing social and economic grievances, human rights restrictions, and the spread of disinformation. She also noted that the pandemic highlighted the threat posed by emerging forms of terrorism, such as cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure. She noted that diverting resources towards providing health care and confronting the pandemic has burdened other sectors, including efforts to combat terrorism and prevent violent extremism. Furthermore, pandemic response measures, such as travel restrictions, have hampered the broad scope of activities needed to address the multifaceted terrorist threat. She said that the State of Qatar, recognising the need for everyone to have access to treatment and vaccinations to speed up recovery, has provided support to the relevant international institutions and countries affected by the pandemic by providing medical supplies and other needs related to confronting the pandemic. It also contributed $20m to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and immunization and $10m to the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported the humanitarian initiative to raise $100m to provide vaccines, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups and the most vulnerable countries.  Ambassador Sheikha Alya  noted that the State of Qatar, as a major supporter of the strategic priorities of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, is pleased to see the great flexibility shown by the Office over the past year to ensure business continuity, uninterrupted participation with various stakeholders, and the implementation of its vital programs, benefiting from financial support available from Qatar.  The office quickly adapted its working methods to the new reality by adopting a working method that combines personal and virtual participation, developing its digital capabilities, and adopting innovative and virtual solutions, she added.  She explained that the Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week, organized in July 2020 under the theme of strategic and operational challenges to combating terrorism in an environment of a global pandemic, provided an opportunity for the first comprehensive international discussion on the implications of COVID-19 on terrorism and counter-terrorism. Some of the Office’s programs have already performed better under the pandemic, as the flexibility of virtual forms of communication has allowed for increased participation globally. In concluding her statement, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani explained that despite the additional challenges that the pandemic has posed and caused in terms of preventing and combating violent extremism and terrorism, the innovative solutions created by all actors to mitigate the difficulties caused by the pandemic can constitute a valuable resource for a more effective response in the post-pandemic era.MENAFN19062021000063011010ID1102306974