The State of Qatar announced that it intends to launch a global awareness campaign on the role of sport in achieving sustainable development, justice and peace, stressing that the global program for the implementation of the Doha Declaration has contributed to integrating sport into comprehensive strategies for crime prevention and criminal justice, and in enhancing the capabilities of states in using sport as an effective tool to prevent crimes among young people, and increasing societal awareness of the power of sport in preventing crimes through the establishment of a large number of social, educational, health and training programs.

HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, said in a speech he delivered to a high-level briefing session on integrating sport into comprehensive frameworks for crime prevention on the sidelines of the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held currently in the Japanese city of Kyoto, the State of Qatar intends to use the 2022 World Cup to launch a global awareness campaign on the role of sport as a catalyst in achieving sustainable development and a contributor to achieving justice and peace.

His Excellency pointed out that the legacy of the global program, which the State of Qatar is proud to fund, has become an important part of our common global heritage to build upon, adding that the lessons learned from Line Up Live Up activities in the global program for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration highlight the importance of putting sports-based approaches into more comprehensive programs in particular, policies, frameworks and plans related to crime and violence prevention.

His Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar, realizing the essential role of sport as an effective tool for achieving development and peace, strengthening dialogue between countries, and in immunizing youth against crime and drugs, has invested a lot of money and efforts to contribute strongly to sports activities at the international level.

In a second speech in front of the secondary meeting on the sidelines of the Kyoto Conference on strengthening rehabilitation programs in prisons and post-release services, His Excellency said that the global program for the implementation of the Doha Declaration devoted one of its four pillars to the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into society, given that protecting society from crime and limiting return to criminality, according to the UN rules, can only be achieved if the prison period is used to ensure that these persons are reintegrated as much as possible into society upon their release.

His Excellency also indicated that the global program for the implementation of the Doha Declaration proves that the rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to prevent the recurrence of crimes, with great benefits not only for the concerned individuals, but also for public safety on a larger scale.

His Excellency noted that the global program stressed the importance of the role of international cooperation in making the rehabilitation of prisoners at the national level in line with international standards, calling for the necessary attention to be paid to the harmful effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on this sector, and the need to redouble efforts to limit its catastrophic effects.

His Excellency reaffirmed the commitment of the State of Qatar to support the efforts of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the field of prison reform and the rehabilitation of prisoners, especially as it is a member of the "Friends of the Nelson Mandela Rules" group, and is committed to implementing these rules.

In the context of the activities of the 14th United Nations Conference on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Kyoto, the Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Dr. Ghada Wali, met with the Qatari delegation participating in the conference, which includes HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Japan Hassan bin Mohammed Rafi Al Emadi, and HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al-Thani, a diplomat in the mission.

During the meeting, the Qatari delegation affirmed the State of Qatar's keenness to continue supporting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and its various activities, with the aim of combating terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and corruption in the world.

The Qatari delegation pointed out that the global program for the implementation of the Doha Declaration is the largest program offered by one country in the history of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and has also proven its effectiveness and vitality and achieved the highest possible outcome of achievements in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic did not prevent the continuation of the program.

For her part, the Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stressed that the UN office looks forward to continuing cooperation with Qatar during the next stage, in a way that strengthens the response to organized crime in all its forms, expressing her gratitude for the generous support provided by the State of Qatar to the United Nations and the Vienna office, especially with regard to the global program for the implementation of the Doha Declaration.

(QNA)