Rabih El-Haddad, Director, Division for Multilateral Diplomacy, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Doha, Qatar: Qatar has decided strategically to position itself in the field of negotiation and mediation. The two key tools are decision making and the peaceful settlement of international disputes, said an official.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2024, Rabih El-Haddad, Director, Division for Multilateral Diplomacy, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) said, “I am here in Doha to ensure that the values of the United Nations are aligned with the values of Qatar. They are represented through international cooperation, dialogue, diversity and peaceful settlement of international disputes by focusing on negotiation and mediation.”
“We agreed with our partners to be here to offer to all the participants something that we call the ‘World Negotiation Day’ which is going to become the ‘Doha Negotiation Day’ and will be taking place on December 9, 2024,” he added.
The Doha World Negotiation Day 2024 will include the bestowing of the ‘Doha Best Negotiator of the Year’ Award - a prestigious distinction given to one exceptional negotiator who has displayed exemplary skills and achievements on the international stage.
Selected by a renowned international jury composed of prominent negotiators and diplomatic leaders, the award honours individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, creativity, and resilience in navigating complex negotiations and finding peaceful solutions to challenging global issues. Nominees should have demonstrated their negotiation skills as being instrumental in reaching an agreement in a conflict situation between multiple stakeholders.
El-Haddad noted that day “Firstly, we reward the negotiators who were instrumental in the peaceful settlement of disputes and creating positive outcomes to multilateral and complex negotiation processes. Secondly, to share knowledge about negotiations as this is extremely important.”
Commenting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, El-Haddad said, the UNSDGs are the most inclusive agenda that the United Nations has ever established. The interesting part is that it was the member states that were the owners of all of the negotiation process which was created in a very positive and inclusive environment by consulting with member states and also civil society, academia, think tanks and all the parties, NGOs that were needed to be consulted.
These sustainable development goals are applicable to all the member states of the United Nations who are invited to invest in them. The targets are also set for all member states, irrespective of their level of development.
He further said, in the field of skills development at the UNITAR on a daily basis “we empower decision makers, organisations, member states and entities that require reskilling, upskilling, and any type of skills that they need to confront the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Being at the Doha Forum with the decision makers allows networking with people who are influential and representing the whole world - Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and other parts.
“We are at the crossroad of ideas being exchanged and it is very fascinating to be here. The ideas are coming from the developing world, industrialised nations and being shared in a very friendly environment. It is important that it is coming at the end of the year where we all need to reflect upon what is happening in the world in terms of governance, peace and security and other fields of concern,” he added.
