NEW YORK: The State of Qatar took part in the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA's) High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, on the margin of the 78th session of the UNGA.
Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater represented the State of Qatar at the dialogue.
The Minister of State for International Cooperation expressed her happiness to participate in this important dialogue, especially in light of the priority that the issue of financing for development should take, in efforts to accelerate the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Her Excellency pointed to the conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which constituted an important milestone in advancing collective ambition to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. She also expressed happiness that the political declaration of the summit was adopted by consensus, voicing the State of Qatar's pried to participate alongside Ireland in facilitating government negotiations on the political declaration, especially since it constitutes a pivotal document for moving forward in achieving common vision and taking transformative measures.
Halfway towards achieving the SDGs, the urgency of the many existing challenges, and the large financing gap, call for global solutions, and require intensifying and increasing the pace of collective efforts in order to mobilize the financial resources that are urgently needed, Her Excellency added.
She voiced the belief that innovative approaches and partnerships to strengthen private finance and ensure a more effective and inclusive international financial system could play a key role in helping countries, especially the most vulnerable and poorest, to invest in achieving the SDGs.
Al Khater pointed out that the foreign policy of the State of Qatar is firmly rooted in the principle of cooperation and partnership to face common challenges, saying that in line with the principles and commitments of the State of Qatar in addressing the challenges of financing for development, in 2008 the State of Qatar hosted the International Follow-up Conference on Financing for Development to review the Monterrey Consensus.
The State of Qatar continues to play a pioneering role in supporting international efforts to address common crises and challenges by providing development, humanitarian and financial assistance that benefits millions of people around the world, she stressed.
Her Excellency went on to say that the value of the contributions provided by the State of Qatar to the countries of the South during the period 2014 to August 2023 amounted to approximately USD6.3bn, varying between development and humanitarian assistance. During the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), hosted by the State of Qatar, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced a financial contribution totalling USD60mn to support the implementation of the Doha Action Program for the LDCs, and to support the desired results and build resilience capacities in the least developed countries.
Touching on the importance of the partnerships directed towards achieving results, she pointed out that the State of Qatar is an investor and founder in the UNDP's network of development impact accelerator laboratories, where the total support it provided reached USD30mn.
Minister of State for International Cooperation stressed that in light of the rapid transformations taking place in the world, the need is direr than ever for strengthening multilateral action. She reiterated the State of Qatar's determination to continue playing its leading role, which it has been pursuing for a long time.
