Qatar Fund for Development, Ooredoo Group and UNICEF sign a strategic partnership agreement to support millions of children around the world
Supporting the world as it recovers and rebuilds stronger after the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing opportunities for children and youth, feature strongly in New Alliance to reimagine a better world for every child
Doha, Tuesday, 29th of June, 2021 – Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Ooredoo Group and UNICEF have signed a strategic partnership agreement on Tuesday 29th of June, 2021 which aims to transform the lives of millions of children around the world as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a virtual signing ceremony, attended by HE Mr. Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari Director General of QFFD, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Managing Director of Ooredoo Group and Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, the strategic partners confirmed their shared commitment to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals for children globally.
In 2015, 193 world leaders declared support for 17 Global Goals intended to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change in the 15 years ahead. The strategic partners recognise that these tasks have become more complicated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact worldwide. At the same time, the threat to public health has made some of these goals more pressing and relevant, such as Goal 3, ‘To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’, as well as Goal 17, ‘To revitalise global partnership for sustainable development’. The impact of the pandemic means the world now has to double the rate of progress towards these goals if they are to be achieved by the deadline of 2030. The strategic partnership between Ooredoo, UNICEF and QFFD aims to combine the global reach, experience and expertise of the parties to accelerate positive outcomes for children and youth.
Under the agreement, Ooredoo, UNICEF and QFFD will develop national-level strategic partnerships to support children’s rights and UNICEF programmes across the 10 markets in which Ooredoo has operations; namely, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Myanmar and Maldives. Key elements envisaged to be at the core of the national-level partnerships include supporting the global vaccine roll-out to end the pandemic, improving formal and informal education and skilling opportunities for children and youth, and empowering adolescents and engaging them in their communities.
Khalifa Al-Kuwari, Qatar Fund for Development Director General, said:” We are Delighted to witness the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Qatar Fund for Development, Ooredoo and UNICEF to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and collaborate in response to emergencies, starting with the COVID-19 Pandemic and its effects on children and youth. This strategic agreement is the first tripartite agreement for QFFD with the private sector, which reflects our vision of enhancing collaboration with the private sector in our response to global challenges. Thus, it gives me great pleasure to mark the beginning of a promising strategic partnership with Ooredoo, and to further cement our longstanding strategic relationship with UNICEF As they say: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
“Ooredoo Group enjoys a long, proud history of supporting the communities in which it operates, from North Africa to Southeast Asia. By partnering with UNICEF and QFFD to improve the lives of children across our markets of operation, we are building lasting legacies of compassion and caring, thus effecting meaningful change in parts of the world that hold a very strong emotional attachment to the Ooredoo family,” said Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Managing Director of Ooredoo Group.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to have devastating impacts on children’s lives all around the world. UNICEF is working around the clock with its partners to roll out the biggest global vaccination programme in history to bring an end to the pandemic, and taking action to ensure the world after the pandemic is a better world for every child,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Strategic partnerships like the one we are commencing today are key to ensuring we recover the lost ground and accelerate progress that is so desperately needed for children,” she added.
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About QFFD
Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) is a Qatari public institution committed, on behalf of the State of Qatar, to implement foreign aid projects by international best practices and standards.
Since 2012, QFFD has been providing aid to many countries in accordance with the international cooperation goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. Its primary goal is to achieve inclusive and sustainable development by addressing global priority issues in education, health, and economic development. In this context, priority is given to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG 3: “Ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all”;
- SDG 4: “Ensuring fair and inclusive education for all and enhancing lifelong learning for all”;
- SDG 8: “Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and keeping full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
To realize the optimal development impact, QFFD projects are also designed to have cross-cutting co-benefits within SDG (2) on “Zero hunger” and SDG (6) on “Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” in addition to SDG (17) on “Partnerships to Achieve Goals.”
QFFD cooperates with many reputable actors through strategic partnerships both locally and internationally. These include Civil Society Organizations, government agencies, UN agencies, and the private sector.
About Ooredoo
Ooredoo is an international communications company operating across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Serving consumers and businesses in 10 countries, Ooredoo delivers the leading data experience through a broad range of content and services via its advanced, data-centric mobile and fixed networks.
Ooredoo generated revenues of QAR 30 billion as of 31 December 2019. Its shares are listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and our work for children, follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
- Geography
- Timeline 2021 - 2021
- SDGS Good HealthPartnerships
- Sector Health Care
- Partner United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund Ooredoo