Qatar complements its flexible funding with targeted non-core investments in priority, crisis-affected countries. This strategic support bolsters UNDP’s efforts to protect essential services and infrastructure, restore livelihoods, generate jobs, and maintain educational continuity. NEW YORK – The State of Qatar, through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), has renewed its partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a contribution of US$8 million in flexible core resources for 2026. This contribution is a testament to Qatar’s longstanding partnership with UNDP, reaffirming Qatar’s position as UNDP’s leading core contributor among countries outside the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Since 2019, the partnership has advanced to focus on strategic collaboration on policy, sustainability, innovation, and local capacity building. Core resources represent the most flexible, non-earmarked funding UNDP receives. They serve as the financial backbone of the organization, providing the agility needed to respond rapidly to sudden crises, sustain hard-won development progress, and reach the world’s most vulnerable populations. This flexibility allows UNDP to work with those who need help the most, precisely when they need it. UNDP’s support to those in some of the hardest-hit areas – including Gaza, Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen – is made possible by this adaptable core funding. Core funding also acts as a major multiplier of other development resources, catalyzing every donor dollar for maximum local impact. In 2025, every $1 of core funding enabled UNDP to mobilize an additional $10 from other sources. These flexible contributions also play a crucial role in strengthening UNDP’s oversight and accountability functions, ensuring that programmes are delivered effectively, efficiently, and transparently. Qatar complements its flexible funding with targeted non-core investments in priority, crisis-affected countries. This strategic support bolsters UNDP’s efforts to protect essential services and infrastructure, restore livelihoods, generate jobs, and maintain educational continuity. In Syria, support from QFFD and the Saudi Fund for Development is helping to keep essential public services running, reaching approximately 2 million people. In Gaza, support from QFFD and Education Above All aims to ensure the continuity of education for 90, 000 high school students in Gaza. Civil works have recently been completed for 100 learning spaces, organized across 10 school sites throughout the Gaza Strip, to help restore access to education for children affected by the war. In Sudan, support from QFFD and Education Above All has strengthened youth employment, livelihoods, agricultural production, and food security for conflict-affected communities. As a pioneering partner in development innovation, Qatar continues to champion future-focused solutions. A founding investor of the UNDP Accelerator Labs – the world’s largest learning network on sustainable development – Qatar supported an initiative spanning 115 countries. The global network has served as an engine that tests and scales local solutions to complex challenges like climate change and the digital divide. UNDP looks forward to continuing this close collaboration with Qatar, advancing innovative development solutions, and working toward a more equitable and prosperous world where no one is left behind. For more information about UNDP’s partners, please visit: https: //www. undp. org/our-partners About UNDP’s Core Resources UNDP relies on contributions from UN Member States, multilateral organizations, NGOs, corporations, financing institutions, and philanthropic groups. Regular “core” resources are the most flexible type of funding that UNDP receives. They allow for long-term development strategies, rapid crisis response, and addressing emerging challenges by filling resource gaps in underfunded areas, helping deliver impact where and when it is needed most. Core contributions play a crucial role in strengthening UNDP’s oversight and accountability functions. They ensure that programmes are delivered effectively, efficiently, and transparently. UNDP consistently receives recognition as one of the most transparent international organizations.
World: Qatar and UNDP Reaffirm Partnership to Accelerate Sustainable Development
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