- Qatar well-prepared to host international partners at LDC5
- UN House to be inaugurated during the conference
This was highlighted by Dr Majed bin Mohamed al-Ansari, Adviser to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), during the the ministry's weekly briefing, noting that Qatar is a "pivotal and essential country" in supporting development efforts in the LDCs.
Dr al-Ansari affirmed Qatar's full readiness to receive its partners from around the world participating in the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), which will be held in Doha from March 5-9.
He stressed that Doha is the capital of multipurpose international action, especially development work, which represents a priority and importance for Qatari foreign policy. Qatar has always been one of the main supporters of international efforts in supporting the least-developed countries. Forty-six countries are currently designated as LDCs, according to a United Nations (UN) classification.
The MoFA official said LDC5 is a platform to support the least-developed countries at all levels, whether official, civil, private or youth. It is expected that 4,000-5,000 participants from abroad and 1,000 from Qatar will attend this important and major event, in addition to a large number of leaders and heads of government, ministers, specialists and relevant experts.
Dr al-Ansari added that on the sidelines of the conference, the UN House will be inaugurated, as announced by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in various speeches before the UN, which takes forward the agreements signed with the UN in 2018 in various fields, and the contribution of more than $500mn to support a number of areas of its work.
He explained that the UN House is a Qatari national initiative to enhance the country's position in multilateral work, and as a reliable international partner of the UN in achieving the desired goals in international work in general. Qatar is an old partner of the UN, and the relationship between them is historical, extended and diverse. He pointed out that the UN House will include 12 offices that differ in their specialisation and nature of work, including the offices of Unesco, International Labour Organisation, Unicef, World Health Organisation and others.
Dr al-Ansari noted that LDC5 is an opportunity for concerted international efforts to accelerate the wheel of sustainable development in the least-developed countries, as this conference is held once every 10 years, and provides an opportunity for these nations to benefit from international efforts to support capabilities and achieve the desired goals.
He stressed that the leaders attending the conference will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action, take appropriate measures at the international level in favour of the least-developed countries, and agree to renew the partnership between these countries and their development partners to overcome structural challenges, eradicate poverty, achieve internationally agreed development goals, and empower the nations concerned to get out of the category of LDCs. The conference will include a group of forums for the private sector, civil society, youth, parliamentarians, and tracks of South-South co-operation.
The official said Qatar welcomed the adoption of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 (DPoA), which was agreed upon in 2022 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Doha considered the adoption of the programme in the first part of the conference an important achievement that provides a positive impetus to prepare for the second part of the conference in the Qatari capital from March 5-9.
