Qatari Newspapers Editorials

Doha, December 28 (QNA) - Qatari newspapers highlighted in their editorials on Wednesday Qatar's unwavering commitment to staging a sustainable FIFA World Cup, pointing to the announcement of the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy that approximately 80% of waste from Qatar 2022 stadiums has been recycled. The Qatari dailies also shed light on Qatar's general budget for the fiscal year 2023 which shows that 22 new projects with a total of QR 9.8 billion will be launched as part of the country's scheduled QR 64 billion expenditures of the general budget on major projects for the next year. Internationally, the papers touched on the ongoing Syrian crisis, saying that the tragedy of Syrian children remains the biggest stain on humanity and the international failed to put pressure on the Syrian regime to reach a political solution that puts an end to the protracted crisis and the long suffering of the Syrian people. Under the headline "Qatar 2022... Sustainability Tournament", Al-Raya underlined the keenness of the State of Qatar to include sustainability in all details of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, adding that Qatar has fulfilled its promise and presented the first carbon-neutral World Cup, using recyclable materials in the construction of the stadiums and expanding sustainable transport network to include Doha Metro, Lusail Tram, and electric buses that roamed the streets of Qatar during the World Cup and provided a pioneering transportation experience that contributed to reducing emissions. Al-Raya pointed to the announcement of the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy (SC) that approximately 80% of waste from Qatar 2022 stadiums has been recycled, noting that more than 2,000 tons of waste were recycled or composted. The paper noted that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 implemented a robust program which involved a number of initiatives before and during the tournament. This included the use of compostable food packaging, encouraging fans to segregate waste and placing sorting facilities at all eight stadiums. The tournament organizers successfully replaced plastic with compostable and reusable alternatives. For unavoidable plastics, Qatar 2022 worked diligently to remove them from the waste streams so that they can be recycled. The State of Qatar has the right to be proud of being one of the most important countries seeking to reduce carbon emissions, save the planet and confront global warming. Qatar seriously considers all these risks related to the security and future of the planet that we want to hand over to future generations in the best condition. Qatar, which has dedicated itself as a world leader in environmental protection and combating climate change and global warming, has transformed its vision and continuous endeavors to protect the environment and combat climate change, which poses a threat to nature, health and the economy across the world, into a long-term plan consistent with the country's development goals, Al-Raya stressed. Hosting the World Cup greatly contributed to accelerating the pace of sustainable development processes taking place in the country, in line with achieving the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030. Over 12 years, Qatar's efforts have been focused on presenting an honorable global model that reflects the great potential of the country in the field of hosting major sports in which the principle of sustainability is taken into account, which has already been achieved in the World Cup. Qatar has fulfilled its promise, and set an example by making good use of resources in order to reach the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality, Al-Raya concluded. On the other hand, Al-Watan highlighted the details of Qatar's general budget for the fiscal year 2023 which shows that 22 new projects with a total of QR 9.8 billion will be launched as part of the country's scheduled QR 64 billion expenditures of the general budget on major projects for the next year. Of these projects, 14 projects, estimated at QR 5.5 billion, are based on an assessment of priorities, and QR 4.3 billion eight projects. In its editorial entitled "New Projects", Al-Watan said that the increase in operating expenditure allocations in the new budget is attributed to the public utilities and infrastructure sustainability, which will have an important role in the post-World Cup phase, with the country having built an integrated infrastructure that will be a fundamental pillar for the development and prosperity of the local economy. The paper noted that new and existing citizens’ land development projects are receiving great attention in the new budget, in addition to continuing the state’s plan to raise spending efficiency, allocating financial resources to reduce levels of government debt, in addition to increasing total allocations for salaries and wages, current expenditures and incidental expenses recording 31%, 34% and 3% respectively versus 29%, 33% and 2% in the 2022 budget, while capital expenditures decreased to 32 percent from 36 percent in 2022. Al-Watan underlined that allocating nearly 20% of the expenditures to the education and health indicates that Qatar is on the right track for the good of the country and the people at all levels. For its part, the English-language newspaper The Peninsula noted Qatar's interest in the education sector, giving high priority to its education sector as it wants to carve out a knowledge-based economy. In its editorial titled "Nurturing future generations," the newspaper said that in the 2023 fiscal budget, the government has increased the allocation to QR18.1 billion for the education sector, which is nearly 9 percent of the total expenses. Qatar has also invested a lot in schools to create a generation of highly skilled and knowledgeable youngsters. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education is launching many more initiatives to help the students to further improve their quality of education as part of the strategic plan of 2023-30. Qatar not only provides the best education for its students domestically, but it also helps them pursue further education in various fields from renowned international universities by providing scholarships, the paper explained. The Peninsula concluded its editorial by pointing out that Qatar is doing the right thing by investing heavily in its education sector. In the future, a country will prosper only when it has the capacity for cutting-edge research and access to highly skilled people. In international affairs, Al-Sharq newspaper noted that with the Syrian crisis and war approaching its 12th year, the tragedy of the Syrian children remains the biggest stain on humanity and the international community, which has so far failed to put pressure on the Syrian regime to reach a political solution that puts an end to the long crisis and war, that destroyed everything, to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people and end their long-suffering. As years go by, the suffering of children continues in Syria, especially those in camps for the internally displaced and refugee camps abroad, where they live in conditions described as catastrophic. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates, the number of children in need of assistance exceeds 6.5 million children in Syria, the highest number recorded since the beginning of the crisis. Additionally, the total number of dead and wounded children since the beginning of the war is about 13,000 children, and at least 2.4 million children are unable to attend schools in the country, as child labor in the camps for the displaced exceeds, according to official figures announced by many human rights organizations, 35 percent, the paper said. Human rights reports stated that nearly 5 million children in Syria were born after 2011, meaning that there are generations of Syrian children who have grown up knowing nothing but war and conflict and are paying the largest price of the conflict and bearing the consequences of this tragic conflict, the paper explained. Al-Sharq concluded by saying that the world and the international community are watching the long-term suffering of children with a lot of indifference and disregard without offering protection and help for these children except for small vows, which do nothing but strip our humanity and humiliate our people and their issues before the international community. (QNA)