Saudi Arabia is to allocate $800 million through the Saudi Fund for Development to finance development projects for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in regions including Africa and Asia, His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim announced during the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries today in Doha. His Excellency said: “Despite the developmental and social progress achieved over the past fifty years, fundamental challenges faced by Least Developed Countries remain, and have become more complex and urgent - especially with the increased vulnerabilities faced by these countries." The COVID-19 pandemic created crises resulting in Least Developed Countries to deviate from the path to sustainable development, he explained. His Excellency added: “Through Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom has projects and initiatives that contribute towards achieving economic prosperity, social wellbeing and environmental protection for all, in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda. The Kingdom is also committed to supporting least developed countries, through helping them overcome challenges and working with the international community to push these countries towards progress and development." The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center provided humanitarian relief to 90 countries with a total value of $6.2 billion, financing 2,314 projects in sectors including food security, health, education, water supply, and sanitation. His Excellency highlighted that the Saudi Fund for Development provided 330 loans totaling $6.25 billion to LDCs from 1975 to 2022, to finance 308 development projects and programs, benefiting 35 countries. The Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, established by the Kingdom in 2018, furthermore has a strategy aimed at implementing development plans in coordination with the Yemeni government and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. To date, the program has implemented 224 projects and initiatives worth $917 million, supporting the people of Yemen. The Kingdom will cooperate with international partners on initiatives to support development, His Excellency concluded, and will continue to play a leading role in all fields of development at regional and international levels to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.​