Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani opened the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025, today, November 4, at the Qatar National Convention Center.

The Amir called upon the international community to double down on its efforts and to provide support to the Palestinian people "for the construction and to secure the basic needs for these resilient people until justice is administered and they are able to exercise their legitimate right on their territories".

As the Amir concluded his speech at the summit, he expressed shock at the atrocities that were committed in El-Fasher, Sudan. He questioned if the world was in need for another piece of evidence to recognise that any manipulation of stability in any country will eventually lead to such shocks, catastrophes, and carnage. "The Sudan has been going through this carnage and manslaughter for two and a half years, and it's high time we stop this carnage," the Amir said adding that there is a need to achieve a political solution that achieves the territorial integrity of the Sudan.

Here are some of the highlights from the welcome speech of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Second World Summit for Social Development that started today in Doha:

- Social Development is not a choice, its an existential necessity... We should take the opportunity of this summit to reiterate and recommit ourselves to the charter of United Nations and multilateral efforts together with doubling down on other efforts to enshrine social development as a main foundation for security and stability for all.

- Qatar would continue to be an active partner in the international community and we will continue to support all the efforts of social development through the aids and contributions made by Qatar to several countries through the Qatar Development Fund and the Qatar Charity associations.

- Dear guests, the bare minimum that we need in order to show seriousness in addressing all these challenges such as challenges related to environment, human rights, is to uphold our commitments. When it comes to social development, this needs to translate the commitment as countries we have made in the Copenhagen Declaration. This should be translated into reality by addressing the gaps in the implementation of those commitments and to give priority to out of the box creative solutions, in addition to building partnerships and to be persistent on the road of achieveing the 2030 agenda.

- The Doha Declaration that was adopted in this summit is the fruit of relentless efforts and unwavering work as well as consultations that were held in New York and it is an ambitious document towards the achievement of the desired social development and in this regard we would like to commend the efforts of Belgium, Morocco and the United Nations for their efforts towards the facilitation of inter-governmental consultations and negotiations.

- We are confident that the Doha Declaration which reiterates and stresses the moral and socio-economic vision of social development which is based on human dignity and human rights as well as equality and peace will give impetus and momentum, that accelerates the achievement 2030 Agenda and this will represent a road map and robust foundation to adress all social development issues especially poverty, unemployment and social explosion.

- It's impossible to achieve social development in any society without peace and stability, and we do believe that constant peace and not temporary settlements is just peace, and it's very obvious, it goes without saying that Palestinian people need all forms of aid to be able to recover from the devastation that was caused by the Israeli occupation and the apartheid system in Palestine.

- We call upon the international community to double down on its efforts and to provide support to the Palestinian people for the construction and to secure the basic needs for these resilient people until justice is administered and they are able to exercise their legitimate right on their territories.

- I would like to conclude by saying and by mentioning that we were shocked by the atrocities that were committed in El-Fasher in Sudan.

Were we in need for another piece of evidence to recognise that any manipulation of stability in countries will eventually lead to such shocks and catastrophes, and carnage?

The Sudan has been going through this carnage and manslaughter for two and a half years, and it's high time we stop this carnage. We need to achieve a political solution that achieves the territorial integrity of the Sudan.

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