Qatar participated in the "Global Food Security Call to Action" Ministerial Conference in New York, which was called upon by the United States during its presidency of the UN Security Council this May. Qatar's delegation participating in the conference was headed by HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi.
In his speech at the conference, HE the Minister explained that the Covid-19 pandemic, climate crises and the conflict in Ukraine exacerbated the global food crisis and threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, noting that Qatar focuses on providing support that covers the relationship between the human side, sustainable development and peace.
Regarding the provision of funds for humanitarian food assistance, he said that in November 2021, Qatar has signed an agreement with the World Food Programme (WFP) for a contribution of $90mn to help meet urgent food security needs in Yemen, where conflict, economic decline and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic are putting millions in danger of slipping into famine.
HE al-Muraikhi believed that assistance should be provided to building long-term resilience to such shocks in the least developed and low-income countries and pointed out that in March, Qatar established a strategic partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation worth $200mn, which will be dedicated towards agriculture, climate resilience and economic development projects in drylands on the Africa, and will seek to prevent millions of people from falling into poverty and hunger.
HE the Minister underlined that Qatar and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed in November 2021 a partnership to help launch major development projects in vulnerable rural communities focusing on long-term food security, climate resilience, and support for technical capacity development, adding that Qatar has allocated $1.7mn for this purpose. HE al-Muraikhi affirmed Qatar's firm belief in the need for high-level coordination and partnerships to deal with these interrelated crises, noting the necessity of working together to build more resilient food systems.
 
 
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