The United Nations said this week that the Qatar Development Fund has agreed to support Foundational and Short Term (FaST) activities in areas of Darfur supported by the United Nations Fund for Recovery, Reconstruction and Development.
A total of $88.5 million will be supplied by Qatar, which is approximately half of the $177.4 million needed to fund the entire FaST program. The program is set to have three areas of focus on the establishment of governance, justice and reconciliation; economic recovery efforts; and reconstruction.
Within the first arena, the program aims to mitigate and prevent conflict as a result of land, arms proliferation, natural resources and other issues. Reconstruction will focus on the areas of the region that have been affected by war. This will include restoration of basic services such as education, health care facilities, water and policing and infrastructure.
Economic recovery efforts will aim to reduce poverty and to stabilize food sources and bolster food security through supporting agriculture and livestock management development. This would also consist of making financial services available to entrepreneurs and smaller businesses.
The FaST activities are a part of the greater Darfur Development Strategy in order to facilitate peaceful interaction between the five states in the region.
