The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington D.C. held, on Tuesday December 6, 2016, a reception, in celebration of National Day, at the National Portrait Gallery. Mr. Ali Al-Hajri, Charge d’Affaires and members of the Embassy welcomed over 1000 guests to the reception. Ambassadors and diplomatic corps members, as well as congressional representatives- such as Congressman Andre Carson, Congressman Ralph Abraham, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congressman Ted Yoho, and Congressman Steve Cohen- and other distinguished guests, attended the event. In his opening remarks, Mr. Al-Hajri asserted that Qatar is strongly committed to working with the United States to build and sustain peace and prosperity in the Middle East. Mr. Al-Hajri emphasized the importance of education and empowering the youth in Qatar as well as others in the region. He pointed out Doha’s Education City, which is composed of six American Universities educating thousands of students across a range of disciplines.

On December 6, 2016 the Embassy of the State of Qatar will be hosting an event celebrating Qatar’s National Day. National Day is a holiday we celebrate each year, on the anniversary of December 18, 1878, when Sheikh Jasim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the founder of the State of Qatar, succeeded his father, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Thani, as the ruler and led the country towards unity. This is an important day to us; it honors our identity and heritage, but also commemorates our principles and efforts to help create understanding between different cultures. This year we have the pleasure to celebrate it at the National Portrait Gallery’s Kogod Yard. We look forward to seeing many of you at the event.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani met today with the President of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly Peter Thompson, at the UN headquarters in New York City. Discussions during the meeting dealt with the latest regional and international developments. HH the Emir congratulated Mr. Thomson on assuming the presidency of the current session of the UN General Assembly, and wished him success in his duties. For his part, the President of the UN General Assembly expressed his thanks to HH the Emir for the cooperation of the State of Qatar with the UN and the efforts being made by Qatar in providing aid and humanitarian relief to stricken areas around the world and its support for development projects in needy countries. He also commended Qatar's diplomatic efforts in resolving conflicts, particularly in Darfur. A number of topics on the agenda of the UN General Assembly session were also reviewed. The meeting was attended by a number of their excellencies members of the official delegation accompanying HH the Emir.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended a reception ceremony hosted by Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, at Getty House in Los Angeles, California. The reception ceremony in which a number of Qatari institutions and agencies took part, was attended by an elite of U.S. figures including heads of companies and businessmen. Talks during the reception ceremony dealt with areas of cooperation and means of promoting and developing them as to open wider horizons of ties in future. Following the reception ceremony, HH the Emir attended a dinner banquet hosted by the Mayor of Los Angeles in honor of His Highness and the accompanying delegation. The banquet was attended by senior officials and businessmen in California.

The State of Qatar has provided nearly $ 1.6 billion in order to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people inside and outside Syria, through international humanitarian organizations and donor conferences, said HE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the sidelines of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.

On Tuesday, 20 September, His Highness the Emir of Qatar participated in the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. During his address, HH the Emir urged that the fight against terrorism must not be confined to the security dimension, but must also go far beyond that to promote the values of tolerance, and the culture of plurality and dialogue, while taking into account the right of people to resist occupation. Click to read the full speech.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani met here today with the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, at the UN headquarters. During the meeting, HH the Emir and the UN Chief discussed a number of regional and international issues including the situation in the Middle East,especially in Syria, Libya and Yemen. They also reviewed the cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations. Discussions also dealt with the most important topics on the agenda of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was attended by a number of their excellencies members of the official delegation accompanying HH the Emir.

Qatar has made its first contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, by donating $10 million. The announcement was made by Qatar’s Minister of Public Health HE Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari during the Fund's conference held recently in Canada. "Fighting TB and providing access to health services to refugees and displaced populations in the Middle East region are an important priority for Qatar," said HE Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari. Programmes supported by the Global Fund in the Middle East include essential HIV, TB and malaria services to key and vulnerable populations including refugees, internally displaced people, women, children and other populations in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was launched in 2002 with the goal of getting governments, civil society and private donors to work together to fight the big three infectious diseases.

Qatar participated in The Our Ocean Conference, held at the headquarters of the US State Department in Washington on 15 and 16 September. Qatar was represented in this conference by HE Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi. Our Ocean conference focused on the key ocean issues including marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and climate-related impacts on the ocean. The conference was attended by a number of world leaders, foreign and environment ministers, scientists, philanthropists, heads of civil society and heads of companies across 90 countries.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and His Excellency Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah attended the graduation ceremony of Qatari graduate Mr. Abdulrahman Al Hinzab at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Mr. Hinzab is the second Qatari to have graduated from West Point. He earned a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering. Vice President Joe Biden provided the ceremony’s commencement speech.