New York/information office / 15 October 2017/ The State of Qatar stressed the importance of making further efforts to create a favourable environment for encouraging science, innovation and dissemination of technologies, and for promoting access to all Information and Communications Technology's (ICT) services for the benefit of all sectors of society, especially women, youth and children.

This came in the State of Qatar's statement delivered by the Third Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ahmed Seif Al Kuwari before the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly on item 16: "Information and Communications Technologies for Development".

The statement said that the meeting reflects the continued interest of the international community in the ICT as a central element in achieving the of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and a unique opportunity to develop communities, eradicate poverty and promote the three pillars of the Sustainable Development so as no one is left behind, pointing out that the Sustainable Development plan and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda have paid attention to the issue of ICT and its role in stimulating economic growth and sustainable development.

The State of Qatar pays particular attention to taking advantage of the enormous potential of ICTs and the investment in them and views them as essential elements for moving towards sustainable development, Al Kuwari said in the statement.

In this context, the statement added, the State of Qatar has taken great strides in building an ICT sector that benefits all sectors of the society, pointing out that the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR) in Qatar plays an important role in this field as it, among many other issues, conducts annual studies to measure progress made in its overall ICT goals and formulates relevant policies and programs as well as expand the provision of advanced services on the Internet.

Moreover, the statement said that Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) is part of the Research and Development sector at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development and is the main platform for technology development's projects that seeks to support research, innovation and pioneering spirit.

The statement also referred to Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada), which is a non-profit organization that strives to empower and enable people with disabilities through Information and Communication Technology and enable them to communicate, learn life skills and engage in education and work.

It also stressed that the State of Qatar's recognition of the importance of the ICT sector and the policies it adopted in various fields to develop this sector and enhance its role have been reflected in the classification of Qatar among the first States in the world on various indicators mentioned in the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2016, as it ranked third in the world in the laws relating to ICTs.

The statement warned that the crimes of cyber security and piracy constitute a large percentage of the crimes that threaten international peace and security and raise serious concern among the international community. This phenomenon, the statement said, must be dealt with in a manner commensurate with its seriousness and that measures should be taken not only by banning and punishing those involved in piracy for political or personal gain, but dealing with it as a major source of threat to international peace and security.

In the same context, information obtained through piracy must be prohibited and considered to be of no legal value, and therefore the states affected by cybercrimes have the right to obtain their rights under international law, according to the statement.

In conclusion, the statement said that the State of Qatar is subjected to unilateral illegal measures that were premeditated with cybercrime to achieve political objectives that violate the principles of international law, international relations and human rights, stressing that the misuse of information technology to achieve political objectives, impose illegal measures against states and confiscate their sovereignty, impose guardianship and intervene in their internal affairs constitute flagrant violation of international law, harm the States that are subjected to such arbitrary measures, violate the rights of their people and national security and distort their image, which requires the international community to stand against this violations.