The agreement aims to bring a total of 46 most vulnerable countries into the global spotlight.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani unveiled a $60 million contribution to the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (DPoA) for the decade 2022-2031, on Sunday.

The Qatari leader announced the major contribution during his opening address at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), held in Doha from 5-9 March.

“Based on the State of Qatar’s firm commitment to supporting the development process of the least developed countries, I announce a financial contribution of a total amount of $60 million,” the amir said.

The amir explained that $10 million out of the total amount will be allocated to support the implementation of the programme’s activities. 

The remaining amount will fund intended outcomes of the DPoA “and building resilience potential in the least developed countries.”

“I urge the development partners to follow Qatar’s example and take the initiative to support the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action as part of our humanitarian and development duty towards the peoples of the least developed countries,” Sheikh Tamim added.

Adopted last year, the DPoA is an agreement aimed at bringing a total of 46 most vulnerable countries back under the global spotlight.

The agreement represented the first part of the LDC5, an event that takes place every 10 years.

“The full implementation of the DPoA will help LDCs to address the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting negative socio-economic impacts and enable them to get back on track to achieve the SDGs including addressing climate change,” the UN stated.

In 1981, Paris was the first country to ever host the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, where it established the Programme of Action.

The decade-long initiative aims at “transforming the economies of the least developed countries towards self-sustained development”.

Areas of focus

The DPoA represents six areas of focus, including eradicating poverty in least developed countries in a bid to “leave no one behind.”

As part of its efforts to help least economically developed countries to prosper, the agreement seeks to enhance international trade while “supporting structural transformation as a driver of prosperity”, the UN states.

Another area of focus is utilising science, technology and innovation in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which seek to empower vulnerable communities.

Addressing climate change and post Covid-19 recovery is also one of the numerous goals set by the DPoA, with least developed countries being heavily affected by both phenomenas.

The agreement warned that the pandemic reversed progress made during the previous Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, signed in Istanbul.

In one part of the agreement, Qatar also called for “greater” global action to address challenges affecting least developed countries, placing special focus on the external debt burden on the targeted nations.

Officials in Qatar will hold discussions throughout the week over the implementation of the DPoA, with numerous agreements expected to be signed on the matter.