Geneva, February 28 (QNA) - The State of Qatar expressed its aspiration for the success of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), calling on the countries and international organizations, including the UN Human Rights Office, to provide continuous support for the implementation of The Doha Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries to culminate this new decade with achieving the developmental goals and have more countries emerge out of the least developed countries status by 2031.

This came during the joint statement of HE Permanent Representative of State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdul Rahman Al Muftah, on behalf of 74 countries during the high-level meeting commemorating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development within the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council.

Being the first conference to be held in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that undermined the gains made with strenuous efforts over the years and greatly affected development efforts globally, the UN LDC5 conference would provide a unique platform to help the least developed countries to discuss their economic and developmental strategies that faced extraordinary challenges and difficulties due to that pandemic, HE Permanent Representative of State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva stressed.

Her Excellency said that the second part of the UN LDC5, which will be held in Doha from March 5-9, will represent a once-in-a-decade opportunity to discuss and build plans and effective partnerships to help the least developed countries to overcome their challenges, meet their needs and priorities, and support their efforts to implement the right to development and achieve the sustainable development goals during the next decade.

Her Excellency expressed her belief that the Doha Program of Action for the Decade 2022-2031 constitutes an ambitious, forward-looking and comprehensive document whose implementation would set a clear action plan for the least developed countries and their development partners and accelerate their efforts to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.

Her Excellency indicated that the first key of the Doha Program of Action focuses on investing in people in the least developed countries, eradicating poverty, and building capacity to leave no one behind. It also provides tangible suggestions to build inclusive healthcare systems; realizing the right to education, health, water and sanitation, adequate housing, and civil and political rights; empowering women, girls, and youth; and the right to peace. In addition, all the keys of the program of action provide a path to realizing the right to development in the least developed countries.

Her Excellency pointed out that the least developed countries need technical and financial support, whether through bilateral or multilateral developmental cooperation, in light of fair and genuine partnerships that would contribute to structural transformation and enable long-term achievements in the field of sustainable development.

Her Excellency noted that the pledge "to leave no one behind" made by the member states of the United Nations upon adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development means that implementing the sustainable development goals must take into account the specific needs of vulnerable countries, including the least developed countries so that you can build sustainable, resilient and inclusive economic development. (QNA)