11 March 2023
The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), held in Doha, Qatar from 5 to 9 March, brought together global leaders, civil society organizations, youth, and media to discuss the sustainable development of the world¡¯s 46 LDCs through the Doha Programme of Action.
The Division of Headquarters Security and Safety Services (DHSSS) provided security support for this major event. The UN Security Team was led by Rodrigo Victor da Paix?o, Deputy Chief of Security of UNHQ, New York, and comprised a total of 60 DHSSS staff from six duty stations: New York, Geneva, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Beirut and Santiago, as well as UNDSS colleagues from UAE and Qatar who provided support to the operation. The UNDSS team was supported by 234 private security guards in close cooperation with the Qatari Police, which had over 400 police officers involved in the operation in a daily basis.
One of the essential actions in the preparation for the conference was assessing the venue, the risks and the programme of the event, to guide the planning and coordination of the security operation for the event. External conferences like this are a crash course on security planning, since the team has only a few days to set up a full security service to enable the work of the UN staff organizing the substantive part of the conference.
UN Security was involved in the inter-departmental coordination led by Ms. Rabab Fatima, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, and worked in close coordination with DGACM, DOS, Protocol and the Host Country security forces.
The takeover of the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) by the UN Security was held on 2 March 2023 with a flag-raising ceremony attended by the USG OHRLLS, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, and UN colleagues. In the flag ceremony, the Qatar Flag and the United Nations Flag flew side by side. The flag ceremony symbolizes that the conference premises have been handed over to the authority of the UN and the ESC will assume the security responsibility of the premises. Thereafter, the premises are inviolable and under UN control; all personnel entering the premises are subjected to a thorough security screening and UN issued grounds passes are required.
The event was attended by 4,500 participants, including 45 Heads of State/Government, 20 SUNOs including the UN Secretary General, Deputy Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, and at least 2,000 delegates from Member States as well as representatives from other UN organizations, civil society, and members of the international and local media. The Emir of Qatar also attended. The Conference has presented a unique opportunity to translate the vision of the Doha Programme of Action into tangible results with countries and stakeholders showcasing a host of commitments. These commitments range from improving biodiversity and tackling malnutrition to resilience building in the LDCs.
UNDSS is proud of having enabled another important UN event that supports the world¡¯s 46 most vulnerable countries back on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).