Qatar’s ‘global status’ helps it secure multiple UN agency seats

Source: Creative Commons

Doha secures membership of several United Nations institutions as an affirmation of its international status. 

Qatar has been unanimously elected to the membership of several United Nations (UN) institutions, state news reported on Tuesday.

These include the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), on which Qatar will serve for two years from 2022 to 2024.

Qatar has also won membership on the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The Gulf state’s election to various UN boards is an “affirmation of its international status in the United Nations, as its outstanding efforts and its commitment to legal frameworks and serious national policies and practices in combating crime, in addition to its role in promoting international partnership and cooperation in the field of criminal justice and the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the promotion of human rights and good governance,” QNA reported.

Read also: Qatar to open UNDP office to bolster development projects

Qatar has displayed its commitment to both the regional and international community in recent years.

In March, Qatar signed an agreement with the UN to establish a new UNDP office in Doha, as a part of efforts to increase the effectiveness of government-funded development programmes. The office also aimed to strengthen cooperation between the UNDP and the Qatari government to promote global sustainable development goals.

That same month, Qatar also signed to open a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Doha to support the UN mission of coordinating global humanitarian action and field operations through partnerships with national and international actors.

Doha has also been heavily involved in international and regional affairs and its election to the UN boards comes at a time when Qatar continues on a trajectory to becoming an international actor to be reckoned with.

In recent years, Doha has stepped up to become a mediator between the US and Iran to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as part of ongoing nuclear talks to ensure regional stability.

Qatar has also been the main facilitator of the Afghan peace process, first bringing the Afghan government and the Taliban to the table in 2019 when the peace talks began.

Over the past year, the Gulf state has also played a pivotal role in providing essential Covid-19 and medical aid to struggling nations around the world.


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