Qatar has always been in the forefront when it comes to aiding the needy all around the world. The leadership of the country has been generous with donating funds to countries for rebuilding after wars or natural disasters over the last so many decades.
Doha, once again, showed the large heartedness and pledged to provide a package of loans and in-vestments in infrastructure and reconstruction projects in Iraq worth $1bn.
This was announced at the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“Reconstructing Iraq in light of the current challenges it faces is a responsibility that all donor states and regional and international organizations should effectively take part in. Qatar’s participation in the conference comes as part of its continuous support to Iraq and its people to reconstruct it,” the Minister said.
The pledges at the conference, which concluded on Wednesday in Kuwait City, will help Iraq to get back on its feet after the destructive fight with the Islamic State group.
Qatar has never shied away from providing aid for worthy causes in the region and have funded many projects for the welfare of the people through various bodies like Qatar Charity, Qatar Fund for Development, Red Crescent, Qatari Gaza Reconstruction Committee and many other international humanitarian bodies.
Qatar has been one of biggest funder for reconstruction of Gaza Strip. Over the past five years, Qatar has pledged $1.4bn worth of reconstruction support in Gaza Strip. This has helped some of the most high-profile projects, including an $84m highway running the 40-kilometre length of Gaza, a $114m high-rise development in southern Gaza and a $17m state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital.
A week back, Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had directed to provide $9m as emergency aid of medicines, foodstuff and fuel to operate hospital generators in Gaza Strip.
Qatar also funds international humanitarian organizations working under the umbrella of United Nations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UN agency received contributions worth over $26m from Qatar, over the past year, making it the largest donor from the Middle East and North Africa region.
The generous donations helped UNHCR secure life-saving assistance for hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced women, children and men globally, including uprooted families in Iraq, Yemen, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Somalia and others.
Qatar has contributed $4.5bn to international aid to more than 100 countries in the world from 2012 to mid-2017, the Government Communication Office had revealed last year. This figure is set to climb many times it the coming days as Qatar always extends its helping hand to those in need.
