Doha, September 18 (QNA) - Since its accession to the United Nations in 1971, the State of Qatar has enjoyed a prominent and distinguished presence in most of the activities of the international organization, especially with regard to humanitarian and development aspects, in addition to its outstanding contributions in supporting international peace efforts to achieve its humanitarian goals.
Despite the size of the challenges, Qatar has proven that it is able to influence the international community and to have independent positions and a consistent approach to international issues, including the Palestinian cause and human rights issues around the world, in addition to the support it provides to the most important working institutions and branches of the UN system.
The country has become one of the largest donors and supporters of the UN, achieving a large presence in this regard and imposing non-traditional effectiveness and a great influence on the level of the regional and international decision, especially since the relationship between Doha and the international organization during the past five decades was characterized by close cooperation and the establishment of exemplary partnerships in various fields, in accordance with the strategic bet taken by Qatar in its multilateral cooperation with international institutions.
HE Director General of Qatar Fund for Development Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari revealed that nearly USD 900 million in financial aid and support has been provided to UN organizations from 2013 until the middle of this year.
Al Kuwari said in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), they were able to highlight the efforts of the State of Qatar in achieving peace and sustainable and lasting development and making change in fragile and marginalized communities around the world, through the support of local and international strategic partners such as the United Nations institutions.
Al Kuwari explained that the contributions of QFFD included many organizations affiliated with the United Nations, as USD 25 million were given to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and USD 1,315,000 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about USD 400,000 to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), USD 500,000 to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and USD 1 million to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
His Excellency also indicated that the aid included USD 40 million for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), USD 3,300,000 for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), about USD 128 million for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and USD 180,600,000 for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and USD 90 million for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In a related context, he stated that the State of Qatar provided aid worth USD 130 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), USD 18,500,000 to the World Bank Group and the IMF, about USD 53 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and more than USD 13 million for the World Health Organization (WHO), more than USD 500,000 for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and more than USD 7 million for other United Nations offices, in addition to supporting the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with about USD 200 million.
HE Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari pointed out in exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the role of the Fund emerged during the COVID-19 crisis as an active, proactive and influential partner, by providing multiple and diverse contributions to support international efforts to combat the pandemic, in addition to providing assistance to more than 90 countries, believing in the importance of global solidarity to overcome the effects of the pandemic, especially on the least developed countries.
He reviewed some of the agreements that were signed as a basic contribution agreement with the WHO worth USD 10 million to support the organization's work programme and the initiative to accelerate the availability of tools to combat COVID-19 in countries most in need.
In 2021, the fund pledged USD 100 million in support of the efforts of the WFP in Yemen and signed an agreement with the same program for a contribution of USD 90 million to support humanitarian operations to meet critical food security needs in Yemen, he said.
Since education is a key tool for the dynamic development of peoples, Al Kuwari said that Qatar has been keen to make huge contributions to the provision of education in many regions of the world, especially in conflict zones, and has made great achievements in the provision of quality education. On the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2022, QFFD has contributed USD 8 million to the strategic partner UNICEF and will support the financing of core resources in the period 2022-2023, in order to save the lives of children around the world, considering that these funds will help achieve long-term support for children and quickly fill life-threatening gaps in emergency situations.
Qatar has been able to provide quality education to ten million children out of school in more than 50 countries around the world through the Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and in partnership with UNICEF and more than 80 global partners, as well as provide economic empowerment to half a million young men and women. It also pays great attention to support the programs of the United Nations. In June 2021, it provided generous funding to support the work of the Global Program on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, which established the United Nations Global Network of Experts on the Protection of Vulnerable Targets against Terrorist Attacks, and provided USD 7.5 million to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) from 2013 to June 2022.
As part of its long-term commitment to the United Nations and the least developed countries, Qatar signed an agreement with the United Nations in October 2021 to host the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5). The conference culminated in the adoption of the Doha Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries (DPoA) for the Decade 2022-2031, which would help these countries facing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as economic crises and climate change.
In Oct. 2021, the State of Qatar pledged an additional USD 16 million to support the international efforts of the UNDP to combat poverty, climate change and inequality around the world.
In addition, the State of Qatar pledged to provide an additional USD 25 million to support the international humanitarian response to the worsening economic crises in the country. Furthermore, Qatar is keen to support the United Nations organs by available means and provide their work requirements to enable them to carry out their tasks and achieve the objectives for which they were established
In addition to its mandatory contributions to funding the regular budget and United Nations peacekeeping operations, Qatar has been keen to make voluntary contributions to many United Nations funds and programs aimed at poverty alleviation, spreading basic education and emergency response to disasters and crises. During the period from 2000 to 2014, Qatar donated more than 41 United Nations bodies or entities.
As part of its continuous partnership with the organization, Qatar has pledged to open new offices for the United Nations in Doha, and a number of offices that have already started work have been opened, including: UNESCO Doha Office, UNICEF Office, United Nations Regional Center for Combating Cybercrime, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region.
In March 2021, Qatar and the United Nations signed two agreements to open two new offices of the organization in Doha. According to the agreements, an office of the UNDP will be established to support the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally, while the United Nations OCHA will support the United Nations mission of coordinating global humanitarian operations through partnerships with national and international actors.
Qatar's contribution to the United Nations included supporting the special headquarters of the United Nations, where it provided direct support for the renovation and modernization of Hall 19 at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, at a cost of 22 million Swiss francs.
UN experts, as well as those working in sections of the United Nations and its affiliated bodies scattered throughout this world, view with respect and appreciation the very important role played by the State of Qatar and the QFFD as a donor and supporter of the international organization in the context of the work of all its affiliated bodies to promote global peace and security, the development of educational efforts, health, economic empowerment, child care, relief, combating terrorism, and various development frameworks with their economic, social, and humanitarian dimensions in general. (QNA)