Regionally, QFFD signed an agreement to fund the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to support the FSO Safer Salvage Operations in Yemen, as well as forging a cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) to develop the Gulf electricity interconnection system and connect it to the southern Iraq network.
Locally, QFFD works in lockstep with many Qatari institutions, including Qatar Charity and Qatar Red Crescent Society to deliver development and urgent assistance, as well as the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), alongside Qatari Amiri Air Force. It has sent urgent assistance to Somalia, Somaliland, Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan, and Sudan.
QFFD also focuses on education, health, and economic empowerment sectors in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goals, mainly Goal 4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Equality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All; Goal 3: Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-Being for All at All Ages; and Goal 8: Promote Sustained, Inclusive, and Sustainable Economic Growth, Full and Productive Employment, and Decent Work for All.
On the other hand, QFFD strives to invest in infrastructure and climate change sectors, as well as humanitarian relief contributions, support budgets of LDCs and conflict-stricken countries, in addition to achieving other sustainable development goals, such as the second goal: achieving "zero hunger", sixth goal: provision of "clean water and sanitation for all" and primarily the 17th goal about "partnerships for the goals".
Furthermore, QFFD works proactively in humanitarian assistance. It signed an agreement during 2021 with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to help Somalia optimize its resilience abilities in countering climate change. The agreement consolidates the sustainability concept through leveraging cutting-edge technologies to preemptively monitor crises, taking proactive measures to counter them, supporting vulnerable farming and pastoral communities through mitigating threats facing marginalized groups, providing effective solutions to support 1850 farmers of small-scale farming projects and early response to support agricultural livelihoods in emergency cases.
In terms of sustainable economic development amid crises, QFFD signed an agreement with the Turquoise Mountain Organization, under the umbrella of the Women in Conflict Zones Initiative, as part of the response and resilience program to alleviate poverty in humanitarian crises through direct support for livelihood of women working in the weaving profession in Afghanistan. The agreement offers opportunities for new livelihood that would reduce poverty, improve access to fundamental and sustainable livelihood for Afghan women, build flexibility in Afghan carpet sector through bolstering global market ties to change the life of thousands of Afghan families, highlighting Afghanistan's capabilities, and supporting the growth of carpet manufacturing sector.
Within this framework, QFFD proceeds with its efforts to explore innovative solutions to provide sustainable livelihood in alignment with its vision towards giving hope and promoting peace and justice through sustainable and comprehensive development.
It is committed to providing external assistance via a wide portfolio of financial tools that include grants, soft loans, commercial loans, guarantees and development investments with emphasis on LDCs, vulnerable and conflict-stricken countries to further develop and enable them and restore hope to their peoples.
Within the framework of urgent response to the urgent humanitarian situation in Gaza and Qatar's determination to constantly support the brotherly Palestinian people, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani directed to provide a financial grant worth $360 million, as QFFD is working to fulfill that grant and had already fulfilled multiple Qatar's generous grants afforded to the Palestinian people in the past years.
One of the QFFD's flagship initiatives in education sector is Qatar scholarship program that undergirds Qatar's efforts in supporting the fourth sustainable development goals, namely "good education" through providing scholarships to male and female students of the developed countries to complete their college education.
In this context, QFFD signed agreements with educational entities at home and abroad, including Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Lusail University and Qatar University, specifically the Arabic for Non-Native Speakers Center (ANNS).
Externally, an agreement has been signed with Geneva Graduate Institute in partnership with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) with 560 students benefiting from Qatar scholarship program to contribute to the sustainable development in their communities and worldwide.
In addition, QFFD is determined to develop job opportunities for young people and empower small and medium enterprises, as it has funded a grant program dedicated to supporting young leaders of Street Child United to establish projects in their respective countries within the "Sport for Development and Peace" initiative in collaboration with Qatar Charity.
Regarding its efforts to spur rapid response, QFFD is offering prompt assistance to counter the challenging humanitarian situations facing countries worldwide, such as countering natural disasters, health epidemics and other humanitarian crises, especially those which are unpredictable when they occur.
Moreover, QFFD partnered with Qatar Charity to provide urgent assistance to people affected by flood and rains in many countries which included food items, shelters, and other humanitarian aid.
During 2021, QFFD aided with over $551 million which included development projects and humanitarian assistance in collaboration with its strategic partners, including multilateral institutions, as well as local and international civil society organizations.
QFFD always focuses on supporting developed countries based on their needs. It essentially upholds Qatar's international obligations through supporting the sustainable development goals, strengthening local and international cooperation, forging bilateral and multilateral partnerships to achieve the intended outcomes, building, and strengthening QFFD's internal capabilities, providing financial products and ensuring sustainability of public resources.
Source: Qatar News Agency