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The 23rd Doha Forum opened on Saturday in the Qatari capital, with several heads of state and diplomats attending the international conference.
This year’s theme, “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress,” is about turning discussion into action, a message reflected in Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani’s opening address.
“Only a just solution can create lasting peace and prevent the perpetuation of conflict and division,” Al Thani said at the opening of the forum.
“The suffering of the Palestinian people in blatant violations of international law, and the tragedies unfolding in Sudan, including genocide and gross human rights violations, all highlight that the delivery of justice and the protection of rights are essential conditions for maintaining stability in the region and preventing collapse,” he added.
Another important topic this year focuses on the growing disparity between the global North and South. Forum Secretary-General Mubarak Ajlan Al Kuwari told Euronews that much of today’s inequality stems from systems built without everyone at the table.
Those attending the two-day forum will also include Syrian President Ahmed al-Shalah, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez.
Another notable guest at the conference was Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and chairman of the Gates Foundation. In his speech, he emphasized the role of humans as natural problem solvers, but said they need the right tools to do so effectively.
“This is the generation that will solve child death. We can eradicate poverty, we can eradicate polio, and we can control more than 95 percent of diseases like malaria, HIV, and AIDS,” Gates said. “We shouldn’t stop at the progress we’ve made. Together, we can save the lives of millions of children, empower them, and enable them to make a major contribution.”
Additional sources of information • Video by Adel Haleem