London, May 20 (QNA) – The State of Qatar participated in the Global Partnerships Conference, held in London and co-hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa.
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, represented the State of Qatar at the conference.
The conference was attended by a number of senior officials, ministers, and heads of development and humanitarian organizations from around the world.
The Minister of State for International Cooperation participated as a keynote speaker in the opening panel discussion moderated by HE Chief Economic Advisor to the UK Prime Minister, Baroness Nemat Shafik, pertaining to building systems to overcome challenges of the 21st century. This was addressed in two themes.
The first theme addressed the profound changes in the current political and developmental environment, revealing structural imbalances in the existing international cooperation system, which is no longer adequate to address the scale of the crises, while the second theme explored the next decade and the fundamental changes required to recalibrate the international system.
In the first session, Her Excellency reviewed Qatar’s pioneering experience and its globally recognized initiatives, emphasizing that Qatar places supporting the least developed countries at the forefront of its foreign policy. She highlighted the significant financial contributions and donations made by Qatar, including a USD 60 million grant to support development activities and capacity-building projects in these countries.
Her Excellency stated that Qatar found itself at the crossroads of three simultaneous crises within a single year. These included mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the delivery of aid to the Strip, its efforts to reunite Ukrainian children with their families, and Qatar Fund for Development’s (QFFD) funding of more than 70 countries facing food, climate, and debt crises.
She pointed out that the current international system has collapsed on the premise of separating humanitarian work from development and peace, highlighting that the assumption of a monopoly on international decision-making has crumbled.
Gulf and Arab development funds, sovereign wealth funds, and regional mediators have become the cornerstones of the system’s continuity, she said, noting that Qatar alone provided USD 4.8 billion in foreign aid to the least developed countries in 2024.
In this context, Her Excellency called for the swift translation of the financial commitments made at the Second Doha World Summit for Social Development into rapid, tangible results.
Commenting on the next decade, HE Minister of State for International Cooperation presented a practical roadmap based on several key areas: transitioning from fragmented funding to national platforms led and owned by the recipient countries rather than the donors, enabling them to lead coordination, and urging the implementation of the Doha Action Plan.
She emphasized the importance of financing social protection and human capital development as essential long-term infrastructure, citing the Education Above All Foundation’s experience in successfully enrolling over 16 million children in education across 60 countries. She called for the adoption of definitions that would enable these sectors to access concessional and blended financing tools, building upon the existing “From Seville to Doha” initiative in collaboration with Spain and the International Labour Organization.
She further stressed the importance of including humanitarian mediation and ensuring humanitarian access as key enablers for the flow of development investments. Qatar’s investment in solidifying its role as a trusted mediator from Gaza to Afghanistan and Colombia, and its launch of the “Humanitarian Diplomacy Initiative,” are all part of Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy.
Her Excellency affirmed Qatar’s full readiness to be an active and pivotal partner in translating these three pillars into tangible reality on the ground. (QNA)