Toward a New Momentum

byHamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari

Toward a new momentum

Manifest of the candidature for the post of UNESCO

Director-General

byHamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari

Toward a new momentum

Manifest of the candidature for the post of UNESCO

Director-General

T o w a r d a n e w m o m e n t u m • 3

Preamble

My education and career have often brought me in close contact with the world’s “fruit-ful diversity of cultures” - the very cultures which unite under UNESCO’s roof, where the most diverse cultural expressions coexist. I have pursued comprehensive studies in Arab universities (in Egypt and Lebanon) as well as Western (in France and the United States), and was appointed ambassador to several countries in Europe and the Americas.

I consider myself a citizen of the world, and believe that a unifying and consensual spirit of understanding and harmony should drive my efforts aimed towards imparting UNESCO with a new momentum.

A diplomat from an Arab country leading this Organization for the first time in its history would be a most precious opportu-nity to reinforce multilateral cooperation, to remind us of the common destiny of Mankind, and to extend bridges between the Arab-Muslim civilization and the other civilizations of the world. Of all, it is UNESCO’s universal vocation that will move forward with new vigor.

Let us create the circumstances that will drive the Organization into the future, that will bring a new breath to the necessary debate of ideas – UNESCO’s lifeblood – and assure it a renewed ease in its day-to-day operation.

A diplomat from an Arab country leading this Organization for the first time in its history would be a most precious opportunity to reinforce multilateral cooperation.

Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be construc-ted. […] A peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrange-ments of governments would not be a peace which could secure the una-nimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world […], the peace must therefore be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.


THE FUTURE OF UNESCO

toward a new momentum!

The world has changed tremendously since the inception of UNESCO, seventy years ago – a change that may have been even more brisk since the beginning of the 21st century. This severe quickening of the pace of history abolishes distances and shrinks the planet. The need for multiculturalism becomes evident, as does the rightful protection of cultural identities.

Millions of youth, of women, of people suffering on this earth gradually lose hope by virtue of deplorable living conditions in all regards. A broadening of tension zones and a multiplication of internal and external conflicts occur as a direct result. The shadow of these ills extends ceaselessly, often with tragic consequences: mass migrations, cultural isolationism and a surge of fanaticism and terrorism. We find ourselves facing a crisis of values threatening the world at large.

We will need to arm ourselves with the ideals and ethics of UNESCO – standards establi-shed on the shared principles of human dignity, social justice and mutual respect between nations. Today, Mankind has a critical need for this value system and for the expertise accrued throughout the decades by this Organization. We intend to hasten the relaunching of these UNESCO initiatives, building upon the successes and the alternatives presented to us by men and women of science, intellectuals and researchers of diverse horizons.

Let us imagine this new momentum together!

EDUCATION

Education first! For all!


Over seven billion inhabitants call Earth home. How many of them illiterate? How many actually benefiting from proper education?

UNESCO is facing a responsibility of historical proportions. It is our duty to massively magnify its engagement towards education. It feels to me that this engagement is one of our raisons d’etre, today more than ever.

I feel bolstered by an experiment conducted by Qatar in partnership with UNESCO and which has already begun bearing fruit: by the end of 2015, out of the 58 million children in the world who are not receiving any education, the joint “Educate a Child” initiatives of Qatar and UNESCO provided for the schooling of 10 million children of both genders in the most impoverished and secluded areas of the planet.

It is imperative to develop our action towards women’s education in the entire world, taking great care not to overlook the regions mired in ignorance, which breeds all fana-ticism and impedes all economic growth.

8 • T o w a r d a n e w m o m e n t u m

Our insistence on women’s education aims to shore up their participation in the construction of stable societies counting on a global and durable development.

We will work together towards multiplying the opportunities for education in Africa and Asia, and to sustain UNESCO’s efforts in the struggle against the phenomenon of early school dropout – efforts which have already borne success in several Latin Ameri-can countries.

In support of these goals, we intend to develop partnerships between states, institu-tions, and the world’s best universities to finance the education of millions of children of both genders in underprivileged areas, and the distribution of high-standard know-how wherever possible. We will leverage all available technological means to combat the educational wastelands plaguing the poorest regions of our planet.

Without education one cannot hope for dialogue, and without quality schooling, one cannot create a better quality of life for the future generations.

Without education one cannot hope for

dialogue, and without quality schooling, one cannot create a better quality of life for the

future generations.

SCIENCE AND UNESCO

serving Mankind

10 • T o w a r d a n e w m o m e n t u m

This is a topic particularly dear to my heart, and I would be remiss not to mention the fact that Arab civilization has given the world groundbreaking mathematicians, astronomers, and doctors.

It is of the utmost importance for UNESCO to continue interacting with hubs of contemporary expertise. This collective brain we call UNESCO needs men and women of knowledge to pursue its mission and continue gifting the sum of intellectual and scien-tific human progress to all. The international scientific community also needs UNESCO, as it represents none other than its collective conscience - an entity which supplies their

independent researches with its ethical dimension.

We will favor assembling a panel of experts, while promoting aca-demic exchanges, the networking of researchers and connections with the potential to yield concrete and immediate applications in all fields that could determine the future of Mankind (water management, the oceans, global climate…).

Furthermore, we will do everything to make advanced scienti-fic knowledge available to the greatest number, advocating for a

more open and transparent science (open access, open source, open notebook science…) while being respectful of intellectual property.

It would be sensible to provide additional effort steering scientific research towards preventing natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, and towards the fight against the deleterious effects of industrialization (notably climate change and potable water).

Arab civilization has given the world

groundbreaking mathematicians,

astronomers, and doctors.


Particularly since it is a field in which UNESCO has already received notable praise with its Agenda for a global early warning system.

Science and education must be at the service of sustainable development. The UN member states have adopted a new sustainability program hinging around 17 high-priority goals allowing to build a better world. UNESCO is naturally associated with this ambitious initiative. If the program sets the tone for the planet, it is para-mount for UNESCO to chart its own path in this field and fully realize its cultural vocation.

There is no need to marginalize developing countries; I intend to support African and South-American countries, not to forget island nations. We will launch partnerships aimed at fostering progress in the realms of sustainability and the fight against na-tural disasters since these serve the interest of the international community as a whole. Developing island nations are numerous (Barbados, Cabo Verde, Cook, Fiji, Marshall, Mauritius, Palau, Solo-mon…). In light of global warming, each and every one of them presents a unique case for sustainability tied to their particular vulnerabilities, and requires a specific partnership.

There is no need to marginalize developing countries; I intend to support African and South-American countries, not to forget island nations.

HERITAGE

a treasure and a responsibility


World heritage is UNESCO’s recognized “brand”. Thanks to world heritage, UNESCO’s purview is widely known and understood.

Certain sites are hallowed locations in the history of the world. In principle, their ins-cription onto the UNESCO world heritage list allows for their preservation, highlighting, and for them to be offered to the knowledge of the whole world. These sites, of course, transcend national identities and religious communities.

In 1960, André Malraux made clear that UNESCO’s call to action for Nubia pertained to the history of the human spirit, not only because it was about saving Nubia’s temples, but most of all because through this call to action “the first world civilization publicly proclaimed the world’s art as its indivisible heritage”.

Today, everyone is aware that the world’s heritage is sometimes under threat of destruc-tion. Our fight will be to protect these sites, the monuments, manuscripts and works of art which constitute Mankind’s collective treasure.

UNESCO will have to not simply satisfy itself with protecting what must be, but will also have to be at the forefront of all workshops and work sites aimed at digitizing manuscripts, rebuilding libraries and destroyed monuments, and reviving these sites which speak to the memory of all men. It will have to fully engage in the protection of natural and linguistic diversity, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as underwater heritage.

UNESCO is the appropriate and legitimate authority on the redaction of laws protecting human heritage in all its forms, and prosecuting those who harm it.

COMMUNICATION

Freedom of expression and free flow of information


The transition from the “culture of secret information” to the “culture of total transpa-rency” requires colossal efforts. There is still much work to be done to develop interna-tional standards and regulations that should broaden civic participation in public life, the process of decision making, and the establishment of principles for transparency, good governance and against corruption. There can be no development without creativity and renewal, and no creativity or renewal can exist without the free flow of information.

It is true that the digital revolution has torn down the old ramparts and opened the way to the construction of a universal civilization founded on new human underpinnings. In order to participate in it, we must make every effort towards defending freedoms, since freedom is the champion of creativity in all domains.

Infringing actions against the freedom of expression and access to information, attacks on journalists, creators and artists, both in conflict zones and elsewhere, remain too frequent - violations and attacks that often remain unpunished.

We should reflect upon the means to develop a partnership with journalism schools, various public and private media, local and international civil society, experts and opinion-makers in order to bolster freedom of expression and the free flow of information and ideas.

There can be no development without creativity and renewal, and no creativity or renewal can exist without the free flow of information.

UNESCO

an ideal place for the dialogue between civilizations


In a globalized world, interdependent but threatened by standardization and various lightning-quick threats, it is essential for UNESCO to be the permanent de-facto shelter for the dialogue of civilizations.

“Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”, said the Tangerine Ibn Battuta who travelled the world in the 14th century.

We have all become travelers, and our own mission is not to tell stories about the world, but to try and bring balance and clarity to its organization. The marriage of modernity and tradition, and a shared wish of universalism, will serve as a foundation for this dialogue.

We will take great care to give a new momentum to the debate of ideas which had made UNESCO a global center for debate and reflection at the time of its inception.

We will structure this opportunity for dialogue and debate within the Organization. UNESCO is the ideal place to converse with one another leaving all preconceptions, conventions, political rigidity and misunderstandings at the door.

We will call upon all intellectual elites of the world to gather in the Headquarters’ host country, twice or thrice a year, around themes touching upon the dignity of the human person and multicultural paths. We will establish partnerships with the major halls of knowledge and the international media.

THE MEANS TO OUR AMBITIONS

good governance and resource development


An organization the size of UNESCO cannot deliver its best without good governance and high transparency.

It would be good practice to enhance coordination between the various administrative departments all the while implementing projects following a multidisciplinary approach and using modern project management tools. This would result in much greater cost efficiency and a better management of human and financial resources.

We will also have to engage in the analysis of budget items with the relevant departments, with the aim of increasing resources and attracting financing from various governmental and private sources.

I am convinced that hundreds of institutions throughout the world share the same message and noble objectives with UNESCO, at the service of Mankind.

Communication in this area is of the utmost importance.

The good governance criteria should lead us to intensify the fieldwork. In this regard, we will broaden the debate with geographic groups while making regular visits to worksites to track the various projects and initiatives.

An organization the size of UNESCO cannot deliver its best without good governance and high transparency.


So all one day can say: UNESCO is necessary to me!

No one is disputing the nobility of UNESCO’s ideals. But let us be realistic: if we want these ideals to inspire our action, it is up to us to make them clearly known to all au-diences, in all countries. Dynamic communication regarding UNESCO’s infinite potential is a prerequisite to the solidarity required for any financial mobilization.

It is of the utmost importance for UNESCO’s initiatives to be better recognized and appreciated by the younger generation, large corporations, charities and philanthropic associations and the like. This improved visibility applied to all of our activities will allow for more immersive interactivity, will attract more of these entities and will encourage fundraising.

We will dream up flagship projects for the years to come, based on the cornerstone themes of the Organization (science, education, heritage), projects that will involve international entities like corporations, philanthropic associations and other donors from the outset.

We will spare no effort to stay in close contact with the United States and advocate for the nation to return under UNESCO’s roof.

All countries need UNESCO, but UNESCO needs all countries as well.

It’s from this base that we will aim to launch

this new momentum.

We pay homage to the present Director-General of UNESCO as well as all preceding Director-Generals, their staffs and all UNESCO officials who, year after year, have built the Organization we have today.

Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari

Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, born on January 1 1948 in Al Ghariya (Qatar), is a diplomat and statesman. He is the counseling Minister to the Emir of Qatar and was Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage of the State of Qatar from 2008 to 2016, and previously the Ambassador of Qatar to France, the United States, the UNESCO and the UN.

A graduate from prestigious universities such as the Uni-versity of Cairo (Faculty of Dar al-Ulum), the University of Saint-Joseph in Beirut and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he begins his career in diplomacy in Lebanon as a chargé d’affaires.

He is first appointed Ambassador of Qatar to Syria then to France. He is subsequently named Qatar’s Ambassador to the United Nations while also acting as non-resident Am-bassador to Argentina, Brazil and Canada. He is then appointed Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States and non-resident Ambassador to Mexico and Venezuela.

Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari is Qatar’s official delegate to the United Nations between 1984 and 1990. During his tenure, he is elected Vice-president of the Committee Against Apartheid. From 1997 to 2014, he is an advisory board member to the Cooperation Coun-cil for the Arab States of the Gulf.

Dr Hamad Al-Kawari is appointed Minister for Information and Culture of Qatar in 1992. During his ministry, he champions freedom of information and the press by lifting the censorship laws imposed on newspapers and publications, and by closing Qatar’s Ministry of Information in 1997. His work supporting freedom of information is one of the driving forces leading to the birth of the Doha Center for Media Freedom in 2007.

He is appointed Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage on July 1, 2008. In 2010, he presides over the 17th Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture.

During his tenure as Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage, the city of Doha is crowned 2010 Arab Capital of Culture.

In 2012, he initiates the launch of the “cultural years” initiative, fostering cooperation and exchanges between Qatar and its partner nations. That same year, he presides over the UNCTAD XIII 2012 (United Nations Conference on Trade And Development).

Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-KawariAdviser at the Amiri Diwan

Government & Nonprofit

Toward a New Momentum