(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fazeena saleem |
The Peninsula
Doha: A top official at United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that implementation of the Doha Programme of Action (2022-2031) and sustainable funding by development partners are highly important for the benefit of least developed countries.
Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming at USAID, Isobel Coleman said that the Fifth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) is“critically important” to assess and seek ways to improve the situation in least developed countries.
During an exclusive interview with The Peninsula on the sidelines of the LDC5 Conference in Doha, Coleman said,“This is a very important moment for least developed countries,” adding that most countries face post COVID-19 challenges, seen decline in life expectancy, students discontinue school education, backsliding on childhood immunisations, facing the burden of high food and energy prices and climate change.
“This particular conference is critically important to take stock of the progress and the gains that have been made, but also look at how we have to double down on the least developed countries, increase their resilience, grow their economies and invest in their people,” she said.
Coleman led the United States delegation at the conference along with her colleagues from the State Department and the US International Development Finance Corporation.
US is among the largest and most consistent partners to LDCs and according to Coleman, the work done by them in least developed countries is aligned with the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 (DPoA), which manifests a new generation of renewed and strengthened commitments between the least developed countries and their development partners, including the private sector, civil society, and governments at all levels.
“About a third of our work is in least developed countries. We spend over $10bn a year investing in least developed countries. We are also the largest donor to many of the UN agencies that are active in these countries,” Coleman said.
“The work that we do is very aligned with the Doha Programme of Action; our work is at an enormous scale. Programmes that we have been investing in for many years are in health, education, in climate adaptation and in food security. These are all very important elements. On private sector growth, on helping countries create the enabling environment to be able to attract private investment, to be able to grow their economies, to be able to put more of their citizens into productive jobs. So all of these things come together in an important way and is synergistic with the SDGs and with DPoA,” she said. LDC5 is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in the places where international assistance is needed the most - and to tap the full potential of the least developed countries, helping them make progress on the road to prosperity. The summit, being held under the theme 'From Potential to Prosperity', will conclude in Doha today. Since the LDC4 in Istanbul, four countries have graduated from the LDC category.
In reply to a question about the importance of implementing DPoA, and outcomes of LDC5, Coleman emphasised the necessity of continued funding by development partners.
“The implementation, of course is the crux of it. You have to have the sustained funding. It can't just be one year of funding. It has to be a sustained funding and really a commitment,” she said. “I would like to see a sustained commitment to the least developed countries. I'd like to see other donors stepping up to really double down on their commitments to least developed countries,” she added.
Coleman called attention to the importance of investing in good governance and human rights.“I like the tagline for this conference from potential to prosperity. I think that for countries to achieve their full prosperity, they really need strong rule of law, transparency, accountability, good governance, and a strong commitment to human rights”.