Head of Advocacy of UN-OHRLLS commends Qatar's great efforts, support for LDCS

Head of Advocacy and Outreach Office of the High Representative for the Lease Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) Conor O'Loughlin valued the efforts made by the State of Qatar to make the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) a success, starting from the slogan 'From Potential to Prosperity,' and ending with the offer made by Qatar, which includes a financing package worth USD 60 million to help the least developed countries (LDCs) achieve some of their goals and fulfill some of their obligations.In an exclusive statement with Qatar News Agency (QNA), O'Loughlin affirmed that the conference has been very productive since its inception, as the host country has announced allocating USD 60 million on the first day of the conference, while Germany announced a package worth 200 million euros. Finland announced a new project with the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries in a new series of conferences between academics and politicians to make sure policy makers are integrating research, data and new ideas into development, while Canada has presented a climate project in Burkina Faso with a value of USD 25 million, he added.In this context, Head of Advocacy and Outreach Office of the High Representative for LDCs expressed the UN-OHRLLS' gratitude for the generosity of the State of Qatar, pointing out that Qatar has proven - through the first few days of the conference, the extent of its commitment to supporting the LDCs and harnessing what is available to help and support LDCs.O'Loughlin noted that the Doha Program of Action shows wisdom, explaining that it takes into account what happens to LDCs in a moment of crisis.We are gathered here in Doha later than we were supposed to, and the only advantage we have is that the Doha Program of Action was negotiated in the middle of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which means that the lessons we have learned from the pandemic or at least from the experiences of the pandemic have been incorporated into those under this program, he said.There is a resilience-building mechanism that will help LDCs overcome COVID-19, as they are still struggling through this pandemic, but also help strengthen their defenses against future pandemics and future disasters that are increasingly coming from climate change and other shocks, he added.O'Loughlin explained that the first message from this conference is the need to make a real radical change in the conditions of LDCs, and to invest more for them, so that when we go back to the same conference in ten years, there will be fewer countries in this category, and LDCs will have succeeded in taking greater steps in terms of achieving development.Of the 46 countries within the category of LDCs, there are 16 countries on the way out of this category, and the majority of those are from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, and these countries do not suffer from conflicts or do not have a recent history of conflicts, he said, noting that the majority of the remaining countries will be countries that suffer from conflicts or have recently emerged from conflicts, and therefore there is a need to resolve conflicts.He pointed out that there are 33 countries left in Africa and Haiti in addition to Afghanistan, underscoring that there is a large proportion of LDCs that suffer from conflicts.Head of Advocacy and Outreach Office of the High Representative for LDCs stressed the need to achieve sustainable development for people living in conflict zones. Women and girls must have access to the education they need, safe drinking water must be provided, and investment must be made, he added.O'Loughlin noted that LDCs were clearly aware that they were the engines of development, and that the international partnerships and investments that the conference was discussing today had priority, adding that these countries need to ensure that they are within the growth, development and investment plan by helping to curb corruption and raise equality.