9/21/2026
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) will bring world leaders, international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to New York for a high-level week of dialogue on some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Taking place at a time of mounting humanitarian needs, declining aid resources and profound geopolitical and technological shifts, this year’s session will provide an important platform for renewed international cooperation and collective action.
Qatar Charity will participate in UNGA81 as part of its continued engagement with the international humanitarian and development community and its efforts to strengthen partnerships, amplify the perspectives of the Global South, and advance more inclusive and effective approaches to international cooperation.
The Qatar Charity delegation will be headed by Mr. Yousuf AlKuwari, Chief Executive Officer, accompanied by members of the organization’s senior management. During their presence in New York, the delegation will participate in a series of high-level discussions, roundtables and parallel events addressing issues spanning humanitarian action, the right to development, the use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian work, refugee protection, and the evolving international development landscape.
The delegation will also hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings with representatives of governments, United Nations agencies, international and national NGOs, and private-sector partners. These engagements will provide an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the mounting challenges facing the humanitarian and development sectors, including shrinking aid budgets, widening funding gaps, protracted crises, growing humanitarian needs and the need for more sustainable and equitable models of international cooperation.
Qatar Charity’s participation will particularly seek to underline the growing role of Global South actors in shaping the humanitarian and development sector, including their contribution to policy discussions, decision-making and the design of solutions rooted in the realities and priorities of affected communities.
Qatar Charity will also seek to highlight the potential of Islamic philanthropy as an important source of financing and partnership for sustainable development, particularly at a time when traditional aid resources are increasingly constrained. Drawing on its experience in aligning faith-based giving with the SDGs, Qatar Charity will engage partners on how instruments of Islamic philanthropy and community-based giving can complement traditional development financing, mobilize additional resources, and contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UNGA81 will also provide an opportunity for Qatar Charity to forge and strengthen alliances around its key advocacy priorities, particularly child protection and wellbeing, localisation and locally led action, and the empowerment of women and girls. Through these engagements, Qatar Charity will seek to identify areas for practical collaboration, knowledge exchange and joint advocacy with partners across sectors.
Commenting ahead of the visit, Mr. Yousf AlKuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, said:
“At a time when humanitarian needs continue to grow while resources are increasingly constrained, strengthening cooperation and building effective partnerships is more important than ever. UNGA provides an important opportunity to listen, exchange perspectives and explore solutions together. Qatar Charity looks forward to contributing the experience and perspectives of the Global South, strengthening the voice of communities and local actors, and building alliances that can translate our shared priorities into meaningful action.”
Through its participation in UNGA81, Qatar Charity aims to deepen existing partnerships, establish new avenues for cooperation and contribute to international discussions on building a humanitarian and development system that is more inclusive, locally rooted, innovative and responsive to the changing realities facing communities around the world.