The Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, His Excellency Khalifa Jassim al Kuwari, met the Vice President for Human Development of the World Bank, Mamta Murthi, to discuss their shared commitment to ensure women, children and adolescents can survive and thrive. 

The Director General and Vice President discussed the pressing issues facing women, children and adolescents around the world, particularly those in the hardest to reach communities and the work of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) – a country led partnership hosted at the World Bank. 

 The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic ― combined with the impacts of climate change, conflict, food and fuel crises, and inflation ― have caused significant disruptions in the delivery of essential health services. More than 60 countries are now off track to meeting the SDG health targets for maternal, newborn, and stillborn mortality reduction by 2030. The Director General and Vice President underscored the clear and urgent need to improve coverage of critical health services and invest in stronger health systems that provide for the needs of women, children, and adolescents

GFF and the State of Qatar have built a successful partnership over the past years, including to support efforts in Ghana and Tajikistan to expand access to health care for the poorest women and children through prioritized costed plans, system reforms and institutional capacity in tandem with the World Bank.

 The Director General and the Vice President reaffirmed their commitment to their shared agenda and the need to scale up country-led catalytic financing to transform the health of women, children, and adolescents in lower-middle income countries. The QFFD GFF partnership will continue to maximize efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and advocate for the human capital agenda.