The UK government and Qatar launch a $50 million initiative to address global humanitarian and development crises, including Gaza.
The $50m co-funding initiative is equivalent to £39.6m. It was announced in Doha, the capital of Qatar, by UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell and Qatar Minister for International Co-operation Lolwah Al Khater.
Mitchell secured a date for the inaugural UK-Qatar Development Dialogue. It will be hosted in the UK in May this year. The Minister discussed this with Qatar’s Minister for International Cooperation HE Lolwah Al Khater and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Al Khulaifi.
The joint funding alongside HE Lolwah Al Khater was also announced. The UK and Qatar aim to build on the co-funding of Middle Eastern and African programmes. This will be done by “increasing” bilateral projects and working through “multi-lateral partners” globally.
The UK and Qatar are working together to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. In early February, Gaza received 29 tonnes of tents through the Qatar Fund For Development.
This initial funding is an outcome of the Strategic Development MoU. It was signed by Andrew Mitchell at the 2023 United Nations Least Developed Countries Conference in Qatar.
Previous UK-Qatar humanitarian efforts
The UK and Qatar had previously supported Somalia during their longest drought. In April 2023, the two nations provided $6.5 million (£5.16 million) in famine prevention support. This delivered emergency cash assistance to 7,700 families. 17,000 severely malnourished children received life-saving vaccinations and healthcare.
In Northwest Syria, the two countries helped the ‘Syria Education Programme’ to support more than 625,000 children. The programme provided safe, inclusive, and good education, and it surpassed its goals. It paid over 16,000 teachers, renovated classrooms and toilet facilities, and ensured that more than 400 schools had heating for the winter.
While in Doha, Minister Mitchell signed an extension to the existing agreement with ‘Education Above All’, which ensures equal access to education for out-of-school, refugee, and internally displaced children worldwide.
The UK and Qatar have also agreed to hold an inaugural Development Dialogue.
Statement from Minister Mitchell
Speaking in Doha, Andrew Mitchell said:
“I’m delighted to be back in Doha to reinforce the UK’s commitment to our development partnership with Qatar. Together, we have supported countries in need right across the world, including recently providing 29 tonnes of lifesaving aid to support the humanitarian response in Gaza.
“Today we have agreed to commit an initial $ 50 million in joint funding to continue to support the world’s poorest people, and together we intend to go further and faster to alleviate the most pressing global development challenges.”
Image credit: Pexels photos.
I am a third-year Politics and Journalism Studies student at the University of Stirling (2022-) and a writer and sub-editor for the Brig for over a year (Nov. 2023-), focusing mainly on political topics.
Wow, it’s pretty awesome news that the UK and Qatar are teaming up to support under-developed nations! I mean, $50 million is no joke, and it’s cool to see countries coming together to tackle global issues like humanitarian crises and development challenges. Props to them for making a real difference in people’s lives. This kind of collaboration gives me hope for a better world!