His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received this morning at the Amiri Diwan office, HE Member of the House of Representatives of the United States of America representing Washington State Rick Larsen, and the accompanying delegation, who are currently visiting the country. During the meeting, both parties reviewed the strategic relations of friendship and cooperation between Qatar and the United States of America and aspects of their development in various fields. In this regard, HE the Member of the US House of Representatives expressed his thanks and appreciation to HH The Amir for the efforts of the State of Qatar in supporting peace in Afghanistan and facilitating civilian evacuations. Several regional and international developments were also reviewed.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani affirmed Qatar's keenness on the necessity of avoiding a collapse in Afghanistan, saying that Qatar calls for international consensus on what should be done in Afghanistan and urged the Afghan government to show its commitment to engaging all parties without discrimination and ensuring rights, especially the rights of girls and women. In a joint press conference with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Anze Logar on Thursday in Ljubljana, HE the Foreign Minister called on the countries of the world to participate in the humanitarian efforts towards Afghanistan, pointing out the need for the world to see serious steps in the field of combating terrorism from the Afghan side and dealing with the various Afghans instead of isolating them. On the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue, His Excellency affirmed Qatar's position calling for a resumption of dialogue between the parties at the earliest opportunity. HE stated that the State of Qatar welcomes positive steps in this regard, stressing the need for the region to be free of nuclear activities. HE the Foreign Minister pointed out that the Qatari-Slovenian talks discussed the peace process in the Middle East, underlining Qatar's clear position based on the two-state solution, ending the occupation, and establishing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs praised the bilateral relations between Qatar and Slovenia, expressing his happiness to meet HE the President of the Republic of Slovenia, HE the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior. He said that the discussions in Ljubljana were fruitful and dealt with the exchange of views on the most prominent regional and international issues, pointing to the important role of the Republic of Slovenia as the current president of the European Union.

The State of Qatar praised the efforts of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, expressing its support for all efforts to revitalize its work and support the UN reform process. It considered the adoption of the Manila Declaration by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as one of the main achievements of the Committee, noting its active role in preparing the Handbook on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes between States. This came in the statement of the State of Qatar made by Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN Ali bin Ahmed Al Mansoori, before the 76th UNGA Sixth (Legal) Committee, on the "Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization." To access the whole article, please click on the link below: https://mofa.gov.qa/en/all-mofa-news/details/1443/03/30/qatar-praises-efforts-to-strengthening-un-system

Qatar Airways has won the 'Human Resources Investment' award at the 2021 Seatrade Awards, in recognition of its exceptional contribution to the well-being of thousands of people working in the maritime sector. The carrier also played a leading role in repatriating stranded marine workers, as well as continuing to support global supply chains. The Seatrade Awards are known as the "Navy Oscars" and are judged by an independent panel of experts representing the world's major maritime organizations, according to a statement by the national carrier. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; Qatar Airways has flown more than 500,000 marine workers home, as well as assisting them with the crew change process. In addition, Qatar Airways operated more than 130 unscheduled flights to transport more than 35,000 workers in the maritime sector. The airline's headquarters, Hamad International Airport, was also opened, the first lounge dedicated to workers in the maritime sector in the world, as a gesture of thanks and appreciation to those workers who helped maintain the continuity of global supply chains throughout the pandemic. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are pleased to extend our appreciation to our colleagues and friends in the maritime industry for this important recognition and recognition of Qatar Airways’ efforts. Throughout the pandemic, we have stood shoulder to shoulder to help keep global supply chains running during the time when we faced the toughest challenges in our modern history. In this spirit of cooperation, Qatar Airways has operated as many flights as possible to help transform crews in the maritime sector and reunite them with their families and loved ones. It is with great pleasure that we have been able to contribute to the well-being of workers in the maritime sector, in which they are the most important pillar.

H H the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a phone call today from Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the friendly Federal Republic of Germany. During the call, they discussed relations of cooperation and friendship between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, in addition to reviewing the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. In this context, the German Chancellor expressed her thanks to His Highness the Emir for the efforts of the State of Qatar in the peace process in Afghanistan, and in the operations of evacuating civilians from Kabul.

The British magazine Politics stressed the importance of Qatar’s announcement of the allocation of an independent Ministry of Labor as part of a cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of Dr. Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh Al-Marri as Minister of Labor, which contributes to strengthening Qatar’s record on workers’ rights British magazine: "Allocating a Ministry of Labor enhances workers’ rights", due to his record in support of human rights at the national and international level. The magazine highlighted that with the start of the countdown to the World Cup, there are great indications that advanced steps have been taken to improve the file of migrant workers in Doha. Observers emphasize that this will enable them to be more effective in achieving their goals in light of the changes taking place both at home and abroad. The report highlighted that Doha has taken important steps in labor reforms, as Qatar is the second Gulf country to set a minimum wage for migrant workers after Kuwait. "Qatar's new labor reforms can dramatically improve living and working conditions for migrant workers," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. The report continued: Doha has made amendments to the Labor Law with regard to entry, exit, residence, and the possibility of changing jobs without the employer's permission at any time, including during the probationary period. In 2017, Qatar entered into a three-year technical cooperation program with the International Labor Organization to reform conditions for migrant workers and the kafala system. The magazine pointed out that a few days ago, an international report prepared by international organizations and human rights bodies concluded that the State of Qatar succeeded in testing the reforms of its legislative system, and won the bet to improve workers' conditions, before the World Cup in 2022. An independent report showed that conditions for workers have improved and the human rights situation has improved significantly. The report indicated that observers considered that the appointment of His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh Al-Marri as Minister of Labor, who has served as Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee in the State of Qatar since 2009, represents a new impetus to improve the state of workers' rights in the country, in light of his work background and mission. His Excellency also has strong relations with the International Labor Organization and labor ministers in various countries. His Excellency has extensive experience in the field of international work in relation to the protection and promotion of human rights at the local and international levels.

London announced that more than 100 world leaders will sign a landmark agreement to protect and restore forests. At the opening of the COP26 climate conference, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called to "save humanity", at a time when environmental experts are sounding the alarm. As more than 120 world leaders gathered Monday in Glasgow for the two-week summit, the UN Secretary-General said, "It is time to say enough is enough."

HE Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Niels Annen toured today the temporary facilities for housing and caring for the Afghan brothers, who are temporarily hosted by the State of Qatar until they reach their final stations. During the tour, HE the German Minister got acquainted with the operations team at the facilities, and was briefed on the progress of operations, procedures and services provided to the Afghan brothers. He also inspected the service, educational, sports, recreational and health facilities and met with some families and children. In a press statement, HE the German Minister of State expressed his country's appreciation for the efforts of the State of Qatar in caring for and hosting Afghan families and children who were evacuated from Afghanistan. He was accompanied during the tour by HE Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Qatar Dr. Claudius Fischbach, Director of the Office of the Assistant Foreign Minister Sarah Al Saadi and a number of members of the evacuation team.

From March 19 to 21, Qatar University will host the Fourth International Conference of the International Association of Sports Management (WASM), in which representatives from all continents participate and is held for the first time in the Middle East. The conference agenda, organized by Qatar University in cooperation with Hamad Bin Khalifa University, includes a large number of seminars, workshops and research posters related to the subject of sports management, in which about 150 researchers will speak. Dr. Ahmed Al-Emadi, Dean of the College of Education at Qatar University, said that it is expected that a large number of people interested in sports affairs will participate in the conference, especially that it comes a few months before the 2022 World Cup in Doha. The conference represents an opportunity to promote education, scientific research and scientific publications in a multidisciplinary field such as the field of sports management in the State of Qatar and the region, including topics related to sports governance, sports policies and strategic plans, sports marketing, and sports event management, to name a few. This international conference also contributes to the convergence of academia, sports government bodies and the sports sector, which will have a positive impact in terms of knowledge transfer as part of the FIFA World Cup Legacy Project at the regional and international level. It is noteworthy that the International Sports Management Association was officially established on April 27, 2012 at Alithia University in Taiwan, and it forms an alliance of continental sports management associations.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with the Prime Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson, on the sidelines of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) at the Convention Center in Glasgow, Scotland this morning During the meeting, they reviewed the close relations between the two friendly countries and aspects of their development and development in various fields, especially defense, security, trade and investment, in addition to discussing the most prominent developments on the regional and international arenas and the topics on the agenda of the summit. The meeting was attended by a number of their Excellencies members of the official delegation accompanying His Highness the Amir and on the British side, a number of Their Excellencies the ministers and senior officials.