The United Nations’ Economic and Social Council has appointed His Excellency Hanif Hassan Al Qassim a board member of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), which comprise a number of influential characters and decision makers in their home countries.
Paul Ladd, Director of UNRISD, explained that a big progress has been made in various international social development files, but we still have nearly 800 million people living in extreme poverty, while inequality is on the rise in many countries.
“Today, we seek to assess progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and the impact it will have on the lives of people such as women, youth, the elderly, indigenous people and migrants, which will contribute to the achievement of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Development Program," he added.
The UNRISD plays an active role in finding solutions to a number of global issues including poverty, unemployment, social disintegration, income, health, education and personal safety.
These issues have become central in the Middle East region, which has suffered from geopolitical turmoil and conflict since 2011. The lives of millions of individuals in the Arab world have been impacted by through forced internal or external migration.
Commenting on his appointment, HE Al Qassim said: “I am pleased to be joining UNRISD and hope that this membership will help facilitate more relevant research and reports that will help individuals in the Arab world, which continues to suffer from a number of dangerous and growing issues such as armed conflict, unemployment, poverty and displacement.”
UNRISD was established in 1963 as an autonomous space within the UN system to conduct policy-relevant, cutting-edge research on social development that is pertinent to the work of the United Nations Secretariat; regional commissions and specialized agencies; and national institutions.
The Institute works closely with a wide network of international research centers, researchers and experts from academia, policy communities and civil societies from around the world.
Over the course nearly half a century, UNRISD has made major shifts in the way pressing development issues are perceived, including social development, civil societies, gender equality, identities and conflict, corporate accountability, social policies and social impacts of globalization.
It is worth noting that HE Al Qassim had established the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and International Dialogue, and is a member of the Board of Trustees at the International Institute for Tolerance. He currently the chairman of Asas Investment.