Qatar pledges $20mn to help African states
Qatar has announced its contribution of $20mn in support of the humanitarian programme “Grain from Ukraine” which is aimed at helping African countries to get Ukrainian grain exports.
This came in a speech delivered via video conference by HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani before a ceremony to launch the programme in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister said Qatar welcomed programmes and projects that will improve food security and develop sustainable solutions to enhance countries’ resilience, and welcomed in this regard Ukraine’s initiative to launch the humanitarian programme “Grain from Ukraine” to help African countries. He affirmed Qatar’s commitment as a reliable international partner to support collective initiatives and multilateral action, in addressing challenges that do not threaten one particular society but represent a collective threat to humanity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted a summit in Kyiv with allied nations to launch a plan to export $150mn worth of grain to countries most vulnerable to famine and drought, Reuters reported.
The “Grain from Ukraine” initiative demonstrated global food security was “not just empty words” for Kyiv, he said.
Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Official Spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majed bin Mohamed al-Ansari said that Qatar’s participation in the official ceremony to launch humanitarian programme Grain from Ukraine, which aimed at helping African countries to get Ukrainian grain exports, reflects its keenness on supporting collective initiatives and multilateral international action, pointing out that Qatar is at the forefront of countries seeking to achieve food security globally.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr al-Ansari said that Qatar’s contribution of $20mn in support of this programme reaffirms its full commitment to humanitarian work, and its positive interaction with all initiatives to address the challenges facing the world.
The Russian-Ukrainian crisis, he said, has imposed great challenges worldwide, especially on food and energy security, noting that Qatar has been calling since the beginning of this crisis for a peaceful resolution to it and affirmed its readiness to contribute to any international and regional effort to find an immediate and peaceful solution to it, adding that collective action is very important to address the repercussions of this crisis, especially at the humanitarian level.
Dr al-Ansari said that Qatar’s contributions to address the food security crisis in various countries of the world stem from its firm belief in the need to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities, within the framework of a firm conviction that the challenges facing any society represent a threat to all humanity. He said that Qatar’s response to global challenges was also evident during the Covid-19 pandemic as it made contributions exceeding $140mn, and signed a core contribution agreement with the World Health Organisation worth $10mn to support the organisation’s work program and the initiative to accelerate access to tools to combat the coronavirus in the countries most in need.
He added that Qatar’s leading role in humanitarian work during the pandemic was also reflected in the efforts made by Qatar Airways to transport a large number of passengers to their home countries during difficult times for the global aviation sector as well as its significant contributions to transporting food to various countries of the world. He stressed that humanitarian and development contributions are an integral part of the foreign policy of Qatar, stressing Qatar’s commitment to contribute effectively to everything that would promote peace, security, stability and development in the region and the world.