Qatari emir inaugurates UN poverty summit, pledges $60m for Least Developed Countries

The emir of  Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, inaugurated the 5th UN conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) on Sunday in the capital city Doha.

In his opening speech, the emir stressed the shared global responsibility in facing the challenges of food insecurity, climate change and the energy crisis, adding that "there is a moral responsibility on the rich and developed nations to help the least developed countries".

He also pledged $60m in aid to support the Doha work programme to help developing countries.

In his speech, Tamim bin Hamad slammed the politicisation of aid delivery to Syria following the deadly 6 February earthquakes, adding that leaders must avoid "exploiting" the tragedy for political purposes - in reference to some Arab states looking to normalise relations with Syria under Bashar al-Assad.

"I stress the necessity of giving a helping hand without hesitation to the brotherly Syrian people. As I wonder at the delay in the arrival of aid to these people, I stress that exploiting a human tragedy for political purposes is unacceptable," Tamim bin Hamad said.

Doha had previously ruled out the possibility of normalising ties with Syria, unlike other Arab states, such as the UAE, who already established ties with the Syrian regime.

The LDC5, under the theme "From Potential to Prosperity", saw world leaders gather with officials from the private sector and civil society, in a bid to raise new pledges of support and agree on commitments for the Doha Programme of Action. The LDC5 runs from 5 until 9 March.