Qatar is participating in the work of the 61st session of the Social Development Committee at the United Nations, which began yesterday at the organization's headquarters in New York, and will continue until the 15th of this month. The State of Qatar's delegation to the session was headed by Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family.

In her speech during the high-level public discussions at the opening session, which was chaired by Her Excellency Sheikha Alia bint Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, the Minister of Social Development and Family called for a review of the decisions of the historic Copenhagen Summit for Social Development. She, Her Excellency, also indicated that the international agreement, which provides for placing individuals at the center of development and emphasizes social justice and development as foundations for achieving sustainable peace and security, needs to review what has been achieved of its provisions and study the reasons for the retreat from achieving its main objectives.

The minister stated: "Although 25 years have passed since this International Declaration, the world still lives with the same challenges and tribulations, whether reflected in poverty, epidemics, or social disintegration. The absence of justice, equality, and solidarity persists, so it is necessary to work to solve these problems so that our children do not live in the same future."

In this context, Her Excellency called for concerted international efforts on the path of social development and development goals, research on the causes of success and failure, and identification of steps to remedy and evaluate them, just 28 years since the historic Copenhagen Summit for Social Development.

On the relevant Qatari efforts, Qatar noted its urgent response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adoption of an approach based on the commitment to promote labor rights and economic returns for the entire population. This comes only by providing $20 billion to help the private sector continue paying wages and salaries and fending off the obsession of financial bankruptcy, which has placed the State of Qatar among the lowest job losses during the pandemic among the world's countries.

Her Excellency Ms. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family, had begun by referring to the earthquake disaster that had struck Turkey and Syria and expressed her condolences to the victims' families. She wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The opening plenary of the 61st session of the Commission for Social Development was held under the theme "Creating full and fruitful respectful action for all as a way to overcome the lack of equality to accelerate recovery from the effects of COVID-19 and fully implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda".

The Committee's agenda includes a ministerial forum and several high-level panel discussions, as well as interactive sessions and several forums. It also follows up on the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development and the related special 24 meeting of the General Assembly.