Qatar reiterates commitment to sustainable development agenda

This came in a statement delivered by member of Qatar delegation participating in 77th session of the UN General Assembly Wassaya bint Abdullah al-Dhaidah before the Economic and Financial (Second) Committee of the General Assembly on macroeconomic policy and following up on the implementation of resolutions of international conferences on financing development.She said that Qatar looks forward to the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2022-2031 as an added value of great importance in the framework of efforts to support these countries and complete their recovery, especially in view of the important and ambitious measures involved in the Doha Programme of Action to bring about the desired transformational change.She also expressed Qatar's pride in hosting Part 2 of the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which will be held in Doha from March 5-9, 2023, expressing hope that this conference will be a milestone event, and that it meets the level of aspirations and expectations of the least developed countries, and support their path towards achieving sustainable and comprehensive development for the next 10 years.As part of the endeavours to strengthen the global partnership for achieving sustainable development, she stressed that Qatar continued its efforts in this field, working with partners and multilateral organisations, and providing the necessary resources and funding. She pointed out that Qatar Fund for Development continues to respond to needs of various economic development issues, noting that the Fund provided more than $551mn in 2021 for development projects and humanitarian aid, in cooperation with its strategic partners.She added that while responding to the repercussions of the pandemic remains an important priority as a result of the threat the pandemic poses to global health, the Qatar Fund for Development provided about $70mn to a host of entities, including the Vaccine Alliance, COVAX, and the World Health Organisation, in order for them to provide the medical devices needed to respond to the pandemic, and support efforts to develop and deliver vaccines while enhancing the resilience of health systems.She also said that Qatar understands the importance of collective work in addressing climate change, one of the most urgent challenges, and is continuing to support global efforts in that regard. She highlighted that the Qatar Fund for Development provided a contribution to support Least Developed Countries, and Small Island Developing States to improve their food security and develop sustainable solutions that enhances their resilience.As part of Qatar's support for innovative initiatives that provide new solutions and approaches to address development challenges, Qatar has renewed its support for the UNDP Accelerator Labs. The fund announced an additional contribution of a total of $10mn was recently announced to the laboratory network, bringing the total support provided to $30mn. She said that Qatar's involvement in partnership efforts with the international community was nothing new.She noted that in 2008, Doha had previously hosted an international conference following up on financing for development, concerned with reviewing the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.