The Shura Council State of Qatar

 HE Speaker of the Shura Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud affirmed that the State of Qatar, under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has been and continues to demand the discussion of the root causes of the world's problems to find solutions to them, and has been and continues to reject an insult to human dignity in all its forms and manifestations regardless of its motives.

In his speech at the opening session of the 14th session of the Conference of Union of Councils of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States in the Kingdom of Morocco, HE said that the State of Qatar believes that respect for human values and safeguarding the rights of peoples will make the region safe and will be conducive to growth and development, thus achieving security and peace for our countries and Muslim peoples.

He pointed out that the State of Qatar, within its contribution to achieving security and peace in our Islamic countries and worldwide, has undertaken numerous initiatives in the field of education to provide millions of educational opportunities for girls and boys such as providing education for one million girls as part of a plan to provide education for five million girls in conflict zones as well as providing more than one million jobs for young people outside Qatar to block their involvement in violence or resorting to illegal migration through funds under the auspices of the United Nations.

He also pointed out that the State of Qatar launched a special fund to cover the cost of the return of migrants from Libya to their countries of origin and their integration into public life in their countries in accordance with an agreement with the African Union Commission and the United Nations.

In this context, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council called on all parliaments of member states of the OIC to give this issue the utmost importance because not embracing these young people and providing them with a decent life would be a waste of their energies and a serious threat to stability in their countries.

He also reiterated that the State of Qatar remains steadfast in its firm position towards the Palestinian issue based on the resolutions of the international legitimacy of ensuring Palestinian rights and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, as the first Arab and Muslim issue.

He stressed that no matter how some tried to circumvent the Palestinian issue and dilute it with the aim of liquidating it, it is a bad bet because the occupying entity will find itself one day and no matter how long it is in a confrontation with the Palestinian people supported by the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world.

He hoped that the targeting of Jerusalem will be a motive to unite our word for preserving our rights and sanctities in Palestine and stand firmly against the dangerous projects that target our identity and against the media war led by those who want to distort the image of Islam and Muslims.

His Excellency reiterated his support for all the initiatives taken by the Union to protect Muslim minorities, especially the Muslim minority of Rohingya in Myanmar, and called for the restoration of their legitimate rights and the punishment of the perpetrators of the massacres committed and the many other violations against them.

He also called for the protection of Syrians refugees and displaced who for many years have been suffering from the scourge of war.

HE Speaker of the Shura Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud said the ongoing conference is being held in light of the tensions witnessed by a number of Arab and Islamic countries and in light of an escalation that threatens a new explosion of the situation in the occupied territories as the occupying entity targeted the Palestinians by various forms of oppression and aggression, making its acts amount to crime of war which shall be held accountable internationally, and requiring that the international protection be provided for the Palestinian people in the light of the de facto policy practiced by the occupation in full view of the international community.

He stressed that the moral duty requires that this issue be given utmost attention and that all efforts be channeled to find ways to support it, calling for the formation of an international committee to investigate the crimes of the occupying entity.

His Excellency also pointed out that a number of Islamic countries face many challenges today, including low rates of growth, unemployment, illiteracy, displacement, migration and instability. Millions of Muslims are subjected to various forms of injustice and oppression either because of persecution or because of wars. The images of their suffering are highlighted in news, a matter that reflects the worst images of injustice that further destabilize the region and exacerbate wars and foreign interventions.

In order to get out of this tunnel, our strategy must focus on the peoples especially the young people, and that jobs and a decent life must be provided so that they can live in stability and security and peace, he said.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to maintain international security and peace, resolve disputes by peaceful means and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries and non-recourse to the threat or use of force except in accordance with UN resolutions.

His Excellency pointed out that the city of Doha was recently selected by the OIC's Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum as capital of the Islamic Youth in 2019 after the city of Jerusalem, which was the capital of Islamic youth in 2018.

In his speech, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council invited the participants in the conference to participate in the work of the 140th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the accompanying meetings to be hosted by the State of Qatar from April 6 to 10.

He called for active participation in the meetings of the General Assembly in order to present issues of interest to the Islamic group and support them in those meetings, looking forward to meeting them soon in their second country, the State of Qatar, a country of peace and security.

At the outset of his speech, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council expressed his sincere thanks to the Moroccan government and people, especially HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco, for sponsoring this conference and hosting the 14th session of the Conference of Union of Councils of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States.

He also expressed his thanks to HE Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco Habib El Malki and to the members of the House of Representatives and to HE Chairman of the Council of Counsellors Abdel Hakim Bin Shammas, members of the Council of Counsellors and the Secretariat of the Council of the OIC Member States for their kind invitation and good preparation for this important session.

He also thanked HE Dr Ali Larijani, President of the previous session of the Union and Chairman of the Shura Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, for his efforts in the previous session, wishing the current session under the chairmanship of HE Habib El Malki success in its work and in taking decisions in the interest of Islamic issues and joint Islamic action.