Doha, Qatar
DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR COLEMAN: On behalf of the United States, I would like to thank the Office of the Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States for organizing this important event. I would also like to take a moment to thank the Government of Qatar for its generosity in hosting us this week.
It is an honor to be here today. The United States attaches exceptional importance to our relationships and the needs and priorities of our LDC partners and friends, and we are committed to working together to advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are proud to be among the largest and most consistent partners to LDCs, disbursing around $11 billion annually in Official Development Assistance.
Since the convening of LDC4 in Istanbul, four countries have graduated from the LDC category. Let me begin by congratulating the Maldives, Samoa, Equatorial Guinea, and Vanuatu on this tremendous success. We recognize graduation from LDC status as a sign of progress, but it does not mean an end to development challenges. In this regard, we continue to support developing countries that have graduated from LDC status or never qualified as LDCs.
The Doha Programme of Action reflects a year of collaboration, perseverance, and commitment to addressing global challenges and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is a blueprint that illuminates the path for achieving SDGs and prioritizes resilience over recovery. It acknowledges that LDCs have the primary responsibility for their development and seeks to bolster capacity, systems, and partnerships to further them along that path. At the same time, we acknowledge that LDCs face unprecedented and interrelated crises which we must all work together to address.
The United States is committed to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both at home and abroad. We support the 2030 Agenda because the SDGs are, at their heart, about expanding economic opportunity, caring for our planet, promoting good governance, and ensuring that no one is left behind.
The central innovation of the 2030 Agenda is the recognition that the SDGs are universal, integrated, and indivisible and seek to realize the human rights of all. The U.S. approach to the 2030 Agenda embraces this integrated approach. For example, we believe that SDGs on food security, good health, and education are foundational for building a strong workforce and prosperous economy.
That is why we are leading the charge to accelerate global food security. We are proud to have donated more than $13.5 billion in humanitarian and food security assistance aid in 2022 and to serve as the largest donor to the World Food Program, contributing more than $7.2 billion last year.
For decades, we have worked to strengthen health systems, deliver vaccines, and prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. When COVID-19 threatened progress toward global health indicators, we responded by providing nearly $20 billion for the global response and donated more than 682 million doses of safe and effective COVID 19 vaccines, many of which were sent to LDCs.
In response to the climate crisis, we are scaling up international climate finance to help developing countries implement their climate mitigation and adaptation goals, to ensure a just energy transition, and protect the overall well-being of the next generation.
We recognize that the obstacles to achieving the SDGs have never been greater, and foreign assistance alone will not be enough to overcome these challenges. We must expand sources of investment, including boosting domestic resources and scaling up private sector investment with the use of blended finance, sustainable development bonds, and other mechanisms.
Toward this end, the United States is growing private investment in developing countries, including LDCs, by increasing confidence in markets, and providing political risk insurance and loan guarantees for certain eligible projects. For example, we’re using loan guarantees and grants to encourage private investment in everything from vaccine manufacturing to green energy infrastructure. And we’re working with partner governments to strengthen their institutions, harmonize their regulations, and fight corruption, creating the kind of enabling environments that all investors desire.
We are strongest when we face global challenges as a united front, sharing our wisdom, experiences, and strengths. Whether government, civil society, the private sector, community leaders, or other stakeholders, we all have a role to play in delivering on the Doha Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda.
The challenges we face go beyond the ability of any one nation to solve, but this very conference is part of the solution.
The United States looks forward to deepening these partnerships and working together to ensure that no one is left behind on the path to 2030.