HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met on Sunday with HE Director-General of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Achim Steiner, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the State of Qatar and UNDP. The meeting witnessed the signing of a core contribution agreement to support UNDP's regular resources for 2021-2022 between the State of Qatar represented by QFFD and UNDP.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met on Sunday with HE Secretary-General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they reviewed the cooperation relations between the State of Qatar and the International Organization of La Francophonie and discussed issues of common interest.

The proposed Global Technology Innovation Center in Doha will act as a repository of knowledge, and as a resource pool for multiple business areas within Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse, one of the world's leading financial services providers, is establishing a Global Technology Innovation Center in Doha, which is expected to develop local talent, and support innovation research and development through specialized programs. The establishment of the center comes as part of a memorandum of agreement between the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) and Credit Suisse. The MoU was signed by Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, chief executive, IPA Qatar and Thomas Gottstein, chief executive of Credit Suisse Group, in the presence of HE Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, Minister of Finance; HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry and chairman of IPA Qatar, and Antonio Horta-Osorio, chairman of Credit Suisse. The signing ceremony was attended by Yousuf al-Jaida, chief executive, Qatar Financial Centre; Eric Varvel, chairman of Credit Suisse Qatar; Bruno Daher, chief executive, Middle East, Credit Suisse; Aladdin Hangari, chief executive, Credit Suisse Qatar and Aventicum Capital Management; and Patrick D'Amico, Strategic Client Partner, Credit Suisse. The proposed Global Technology Innovation Centre in Doha will act as a repository of knowledge, and as the MoU aims to bolster the financial services sector by accelerating the business growth of Credit Suisse in Qatar, and the wider Middle East region. According to the terms of agreement, IPA Qatar will support the Swiss bank in deepening its onshore footprint in the market. The IPA Qatar oversees investment promotion activities under the Invest Qatar brand and acts as the country’s umbrella organisation for attracting foreign direct investment into the country. The new partnership paves the way for future collaborations between IPA Qatar and Credit Suisse across other fast-growing sectors, such as financial technology, and significantly expands its footprint in Qatar to serve regional and international markets. the Credit Suisse Group is operating in more than 50 countries around the world, and has been actively expanding its operations in Qatar since their branch launch in 2006 via the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) platform.

The State of Qatar reiterated that a permanent, comprehensive, and just settlement of the Middle East issue will only be achieved on the basis of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, leading to ending the occupation of all occupied Arab lands, including the Syrian Golan and the occupied Lebanese territories, ending settlements, a just solution to the issue refugees, and the Palestinians enjoy their inalienable rights, especially their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the vision of the two-state solution. This came in the statement of the State of Qatar made by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on all its items. Qatar's statement stressed that the two-state solution is the solution agreed upon by the international community as the only possible way to reach a lasting peace. It also underlined the need not to prejudice the existing status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The statement stated that the reports, submitted to the committee under the item of the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, show the continued practices of Israel, the occupying power, that are inconsistent with international law, especially the international human rights law and humanitarian law, as well as UN General Assembly resolutions. The State of Qatar praised the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which continues to carry out indispensable projects and activities in the field of health, education, and others in the occupied Palestinian territory and the countries hosting Palestinian refugees, in light of the global pandemic challenges and the ongoing budget deficit. The statement renewed the State of Qatar's continued support for UNRWA's core resources. On the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, the statement reiterated the position of the State of Qatar, which stems from its belief in settling differences and disputes through dialogue and peaceful means. The statement indicated that the State of Qatar supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General aimed at facilitating a lasting and agreed upon political solution within the framework of the political process under the UN supervision in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions, the latest of which is Resolution 2548 (2021), in a manner that guarantees the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco. The statement added that the State of Qatar considers the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco a constructive initiative as a basis for any realistic solution to this issue. In conclusion, the statement expressed the hope of the State of Qatar that the draft resolution that the committee will consider on this issue will contribute to supporting the political process and reaching a final solution in a manner that serves the interests of the parties and security and is in the interest of strengthening stability and cooperation in the region.

The State of Qatar participated via videoconferencing in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE). HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic and Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the International Bureau of Exhibitions Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani represented the State of Qatar in the meeting. In the State of Qatar's speech before the meeting, HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the International Bureau of Exhibitions stressed that preparations for the organization of the 2023 Doha International Horticultural Expo are going in full swing thanks to the support of the International Bureau of Exhibitions.

Qatar and the United Kingdom announced today that they intend to launch an annual bilateral strategic dialogue and agreed to hold the first one in London in the first quarter of 2022. This came following the meeting in Doha between the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Liz Truss. The joint statement made to announce the launch of the strategic dialogue between Qatar and the United Kingdom said that it will reflect on the strength of bilateral relations and explore opportunities that benefit the peoples of the two countries to enhance cooperation. The statement added that there is a strong partnership between Qatar and the United Kingdom in developing commerce, investment, defense, security, technology, cooperation on counter-terrorism, public health, climate change, energy, culture, sports, education, and enhancing peace and security with friends and allies around the world, which includes infrastructure and investing in developing countries. The statement stressed that developing ties to the level of strategic dialogue allows both countries to work from a position of power on the international stage and helps address issues of joint interest related to development and sustainability, in addition to the climate change crisis, resolving conflicts, and issues of defense and security. The statement expressed Qatar and UK's belief that their constant cooperation will serve both countries' interests, as well as the interests of other countries around the world, stressing that cooperating in rebuilding will help lead to a better, and more inclusive recovery following the global pandemic.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met in Madrid today with HE State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain Angeles Moreno. The meeting dealt with reviewing bilateral cooperation, and a number of subjects of joint interests.

Qatar ranked tenth globally in the list of the best destinations to live and work, according to the results of the fourteenth edition of the annual HSBC Expat Explorer report issued by HSBC. It is a global survey of the opinions of more than 20,000 people who live and work outside their home countries. The results of the 14th edition of the annual HSBC Expat Explorer report indicated that the vast majority of expats surveyed in Qatar (80%) feel that their standard of living has improved since their arrival in the country. Also, more than two-thirds of respondents feel optimistic about the coming year, despite the global pandemic that has continued for the past 18 months. This feeling of optimism stems from the improvement of their financial conditions (85%) and their confidence in the economic future (59%), which was reinforced by the limited changes in laws, policies and regulations that could affect the financial recovery. Abdulhakim Mustafawi, CEO of HSBC Qatar, said: “The results of the annual Expat Explorer survey have been encouraging to us and have shown optimism about the improvement in living standards and financial conditions. This study helps us understand the needs of our expatriate clients and helps them increase their personal wealth. We have teams in the wealth management department who can design solutions that suit the needs of our expatriate clients and open up a world of opportunities for everyone. Many expatriates in Qatar appreciate the importance of work-life balance, and about 60 percent of those who participated in the survey stated that their standard of living had improved since they came to the country. Safety and security were one of the most important reasons for the improvement in the standard of living as a whole, with 74 percent stating that they feel more secure than in their home countries. The results indicate that expatriates prioritize personal life more than traditional relocation motives. Many of them expect to find more opportunities to travel in the next 12 months (46%), meet new friends (46%) and career development (44%).The study pointed to some of the challenges faced by expatriates during the Corona pandemic, as about half of them (63%) stopped traveling abroad on tasks related to their work, and most of them (90%) were unable to visit their families or friends in their countries of origin. On the other hand, two out of four (42%) reported that they were able to spend some time outside.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met today with HE Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Liz Truss, who is currently visiting the country. The meeting dealt with reviewing bilateral cooperation, a number of regional and international issues, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation in economic and strategic fields. HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulated HE Liz Truss on assuming her new post, wishing her success in performing her duties.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received, in his office at the Amiri Diwan this morning, Her Excellency Mrs. Liz Terrace, British Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Development, and the accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to the country. During the meeting, the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and prospects of enhancing and developing them were reviewed, in addition to discussing regional and international developments, especially the developments in Afghanistan. In this regard, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development expressed her thanks to His Highness the Emir for the role of the State of Qatar in evacuating British nationals.