The following is a transcript of a speech given by the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on Friday 22 September 2017.

Your Excellences, Distinguished Permanent Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Ladies and Gentlemen: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the 194 countries of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 fall under the umbrella of an ambitious and important agenda – transforming the world through the commitments of our governments, the private sector, civil society, and citizens.

Transforming the world…our world needs transforming right now. In a time of such global connectivity, it is heartbreaking that discord, conflict, and prejudice still exists between neighbors, between countries, and between people of goodwill.

My country Qatar hopes for misunderstandings to be melted and for shared peace between cultures to flourish. Qatar has a vision for a world where pens are chosen above weapons, where we all help those less fortunate, where human rights are upheld and protected and where different cultures and peoples can thrive together.

Resolving conflict by peaceful means is a key pillar of our foreign policy – as referenced by His Highness the Emir in his address to the General Assembly this week.

When we bid for the 2022 World Cup, we saw an opportunity to bind the world together through the love of sport. My country hopes this becomes a unifying mission for the world.

Sport is uniquely equipped to unite. Sport breaks down barriers, creates friendships and enhances cultural understanding. No matter our creed, belief, nationality or economic status, sport touches our passion and brings out the best of us as individuals and human beings. It inspires excellence and hard work.

Don't underestimate the shared love of sport…it is vitally important that the power of sport is utilized to realizing the ambitions across the full extent of the 2030 Agenda and achieving its aim, to profoundly improve the lives of all – and transform our world for the better.

While we are absolutely committed to hosting the most successful World Cup in the tournament's history, we are simultaneously committed to a far broader vision. And since being awarded the honor to host, we have worked constantly to ensure that this vision and legacy is truly realized.

We have continuously stressed that our intention was that this World Cup was not a Qatari World Cup, but one that represented, and would benefit our entire region and specifically the youth of the region. 30% of the region's population is between 15 and 29, and a further 30% are aged below 15.

We want to unlock their potential through the power of sport and the World Cup.

We seek to open the doors to the youth and provide access to the social, cultural, technological and economic opportunities that this World Cup can bring.

Today's event is a showcase for the initiatives that we have launched for the purpose of unlocking this potential and ensuring we create a genuine regional and global legacy.

We also view the World Cup as a supporting platform for the talented and growing entrepreneurial and innovation community of the region.

One of the initiatives that I find so powerful has a reach that extends beyond the Middle East and the Arab World.

In collaboration with partners such as UNHCR, Mercy Corps, Right to Play and Street Football World, we built sporting facilities in these locations and ran programmes that focused on developing leadership skills, civic engagement and nurturing life skills for boys and girls in underprivileged communities.

I would like to share one touching example of Generation Amazing's potential.

Uzma Sharif is a young girl from the Lyari district of Karachi, Pakistan. Lyari is one of the oldest, and poorest districts of the city.

Uzma is one of the youth ambassadors for Generation Amazing. GA inspired her to take up football and has played a significant role in her life since. She has since established her own football team, whom she coaches, and most recently organized a girls football league in Lyari, demonstrating the positive effect that football can have – in any community. She was invited by a local peace-building NGO to deliver a speech on the role of youth in bringing peace to Karachi.

Uzma's story is a small, and yet significant example of how football – when properly utilized – can inspire social progress and change lives for the better.

It is stories such as Uzma's that remind me of our purpose and our responsibility, and the magnitude of what hosting a World Cup can potentially achieve.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The purpose of today's event is to demonstrate to you the value and power of sport as a change agent.

I believe that sport, and in particular football, "the beautiful game," has unlimited potential to positively affect the world we live in now, and the world we are building for the future. The power of sport can contribute to the global UN efforts to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality.

We won't deny that our goals are ambitious. While we are aiming for the stars, our feet are firmly on the ground.

The initiatives that I invite you to see and learn about today are the practical steps…the building blocks…that contribute toward creating the stability and economic opportunity that is so important for the future of the young people of our region. And this in turn creates the environment necessary for our unifying mission and for transforming the world.

This is about dreaming big, to extract as much benefit as possible for people – in Qatar, the region and around the world.

It is a precious opportunity that we must not waste.

An opportunity to share a common mission and make a difference through creating a better future.

We intend to make the most of it. I invite you to join us on our journey.