In an interview with 'Al-Raya' newspaper, Dr Anna Paolini said that building peace is not an easy task and requires a long-term commitment, especially at this moment when the entire world is fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic. She affirmed that Unesco will move forward towards rebuilding, adding that Unesco counts on Qatar to support a strong common roadmap to achieve the collective aspirations for a culture of peace, poverty eradication, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, science, culture and communication and information
Paolini noted the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Qatar's accession to Unesco on Jan 27, which dedicates five decades of fruitful co-operation at various levels, affirming that she is confident that the co-operation between Qatar and Unesco will continue to flourish and lead to lasting positive changes in societies with the sincere support of all concerned Qatari partners. Qatar is committed to supporting Unesco's mandates, as the presence of a regional office in Doha since the early '70s is a sign of that, Unesco Representative pointed out.
Qatar Fund for Development, for example, is the main contributor to the Heritage Emergency Fund, which has allowed it to work quickly in areas of conflict or after natural disasters to protect heritage sites, she explained, pointing out that the Education Above All Foundation is a distinguished partner when it comes to providing high-quality educational services in poor areas from the Middle East to South Asia.
Paolini said that Qatar has strongly supported Unesco programs and as a result of its commitment and efforts, Qatar has hosted the Unesco Al Reem Biosphere Reserve since 2007, which has provided unparalleled research opportunities for sustainable development and the use of arid lands, in addition to the archaeological site of Al Zubarah, which is the first Qatari site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2013 and theUnesco-UNEVOC, which is located in the College of the North Atlantic and aims to promote technical and vocational education and innovation in the country and abroad.
In the past few years, Qatari universities have established three Unesco Chairs in different scientific fields, she said, adding that two Qatari cities are part of the Unesco Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) while Doha was recognised in 2021 as a Unesco Creative City for Design. She stressed that the accession of Qatari schools to the Unesco global network enhances the values of Unesco by promoting the human, ethical, cultural and international dimensions of education. More than 80 ASPnet member schools in Qatar work to support international understanding, peace, intercultural dialogue, sustainable development and quality education in practice. (QNA)
