The Shura Council Speaker, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, addressing at the ‘Start of the General Debate on the theme Parliaments as Platforms to Enhance Education for Peace, Security and the Rule of Law’ on the second day of 140th Assembly o
The Shura Council Speaker, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, stressed the decisive and effective role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in disseminating science and knowledge and correcting the corrupt concepts that threaten the principles of peace, security and the rule of law.
“That most of the countries where conflicts, wars and instability are rampant, poverty and famine are widespread, and the absence of development we as parliamentarians have a great responsibility to promote education and make it a means to achieve and maintain security and peace and the rule of law in these countries,” Al Mahmoud said.
He chaired 140th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) that is taking place in Doha and discussing parliaments as platforms to enhance education for peace, security and the rule of law, and the session was attended President of the IPU, Gabriela Cuevas Barron; Secretary-General of the IPU, Martin Chungong; and their excellencies parliament speakers and heads of participating delegations.
“We have to fight extremist ideas and spread education which respects ethnic and religious diversity. Education recognises others,” he said.
Al Mahmoud was unanimously elected as the President of the 140th Assembly of the IPU.
“In Qatar, we have given great attention to education and unlimited support has been provided for the development of educational programmes. This has given good results and made our country in advanced positions in this field,” he added.
Al Mahmoud also pointed out that Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in his speech addressing the opening of the 140th Assembly of the IPU referred to the subject of education and what Qatar had done not only at national level but also around the world in cooperation with United Nations organisations for promotion of education.
“We hope that the discussions in our meetings will lead to the development of a plan of action that will be coordinated by all member parliaments to assess progress in achieving the agreed objectives and develop periodic measures to address the problems.”
For her part, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador and President of the 73rd Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, hailed the work of the General Assembly of the IPU and the presence of hundreds of parliamentarians representing parliaments from around the world at an international forum that underlines the importance of concerted efforts to achieve the principles of peace and security through education.
In a televised message addressed to the plenary session, the Minister said that the issues dealt with at the current session of the General Assembly are of great importance and require cooperation at all levels and in order to confront the threats, we must overcome the policies based on force and the need to cooperate on common issues and strengthen international institutions to be more transparent.
For its part, IPU President and Head of the Executive Committee, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, said the subject of education is important because the developments are rapid and many threats make the necessity of education a duty for everyone.
“Everyone must learn regardless of color, gender, race and religion, as well as the poor, the rich,” she added.
