Doha: The partnership between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has expanded since the launch of the agency's Doha office in 2021, shifting from simple financing to global policy, sustainability, innovation, and capacity building, a senior UNDP official has said.
According to Qatar News Agency, HE UNDP Technical Representative and Head of the Doha Office Biplove Choudhary stated that the partnership connects Qatari institutions to the program's global network of expertise, offices, and policy centers. This collaboration enables Doha to share its development experiences and solutions both regionally and globally.
His Excellency emphasized that the Doha office's role extends beyond coordination, focusing on building strategic and multi-dimensional partnerships, developing innovative development solutions, strengthening institutional capacity, and streamlining policy dialogue in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Choudhary praised Qatar as one of UNDP's "most principled, credible and committed" partners, highlighting its support for the agency's initiatives in crisis-hit countries such as Syria, Sudan, and the Gaza Strip. In Syria, initiatives have focused on sustaining essential public services and preserving critical government jobs during a transitional period. In Sudan, support from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Education Above All (EAA) has helped strengthen youth employment, livelihoods, agricultural production, and food security for communities affected by conflict.
In Gaza, the 'Rebuilding Hope' project, implemented by UNDP in cooperation with EAA and QFFD, aims to maintain access to secondary education for young people, with the current phase designed to reach about 90,000 high school students. Choudhary noted that the partnership with Qatar combines flexible, long-term support with investment in innovation and a shared commitment to working in challenging environments.
He highlighted Qatar's contribution to the implementation of UNDP's new 2026-2029 strategic plan. Through QFFD, Qatar partnered with Germany to co-invest and co-found the UNDP Accelerator Labs, a global network operating in 115 countries to develop and test innovative approaches to complex development challenges.
Choudhury pointed out the growing strategic dimension of the Qatar-UNDP partnership, given Doha's increasing role in mediation and diplomacy during international crises. Diplomacy, he said, can create the political conditions for peace, while development provides the economic, social, and institutional foundations needed to maintain it.
More than half of UNDP projects are implemented in fragile settings. In 2025, the organization delivered programs worth USD2.6 billion in crisis contexts, representing over half of its global volume of work. Choudhary noted that the partnership is developing at a time when international development financing is under pressure, with official development assistance falling by about 23 percent in 2025 and core contributions to UNDP declining by 24 percent.
He described core funding as a form of capital capable of leveraging wider development resources and stressed the importance of deepening cooperation with the QFFD. The fund has shown an ability to combine development cooperation with investment capacity and a growing interest in innovative financing mechanisms.
Choudhary remarked that the digital divide now involves infrastructure, skills, institutions, and regulatory capacity enabling countries to benefit from artificial intelligence. UNDP, Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and Ooredoo Group launched the Digital Policy Framework for Arab States, covering areas such as connectivity, data, public digital infrastructure, and smart systems.
Doha hosted the High-Level Digital and AI Policy Leaders Forum on September 1 and 2, bringing together government officials, regulators, private-sector leaders, academics, and development partners. As attention shifts to the international development agenda ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, UNDP sees Qatar as a key voice in global discussions, given its commitment to multilateralism, mediation, development cooperation, humanitarian action, and investment.
Choudhary expressed hope that by 2030, the Qatar-UNDP partnership would become more integrated and broader in scope, covering more countries and sectors. The ultimate measure of success would be the partnership's ability to help preserve essential services in crisis zones, restore livelihoods, strengthen institutional resilience, create opportunities for young people, and enable communities to shape their future.