Conference On LDCs Calls For Rapid Implementation Of Development, Sustainability Pledges

Doha, March 07 (QNA) - The countries participating in the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), which is being held in Doha, called for accelerating the implementation of the pledges made by developed countries to advance development in the least developed countries (LDCs), especially in light of the multiple crises the world is currently experiencing. Some of the high-ranking officials who delivered speeches on Tuesday at the conference's fifth discussion session stressed that recurring crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, and climate change have had negatively affected LDCs the most, which is why the time has come for the developed countries to fulfill their pledges and provide assistance to the affected countries, in the form of financial support and direct investment. They also stressed that international institutions must show greater flexibility to assist developing and least developed countries, especially in times of global crises, and to go beyond traditional policies and ready-made templates that are no longer able to respond to emerging development requirements. They also called for easing debt burdens and restructuring them into development projects, so that LDCs could focus on investing in their youth potential and natural resources, which are capable of achieving the aspired developmental leap - if utilized optimally. The representatives of the participating countries stressed that education, health and the use of modern technology are the basic elements that must be focused on to help LDCs, without neglecting the other elements, which are financial support and the injection of direct investments. HE Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia Mounir Ben Rjiba said that despite the passage of more than 50 years since the establishment of the Group of Least Developed Countries, and the multiplicity of international action programs and the promises they contained to help these countries achieve economic, social and human development, the outcome was not at the level of the aspirations of their peoples for a decent life and sustainable development. He added that the economies of these countries have worsened now, as there is a severe recession and shocks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to lose the modest developmental gains that were achieved during the past decade in the field of poverty reduction. He pointed out that increasing debt burdens and shrinking financing sources, with deepening geostrategic divisions, has brought the world into a dangerous phase of uncertainty, and weakened multilateral action and international cooperation mechanisms. He also stressed that the effects of these crises were more severe on vulnerable groups in the least developed countries, but their repercussions also affected developing countries and middle-income countries, exhausting their capabilities and weakening their ability to withstand and sustain. For his part, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay Raul Silvero said that the United Nations LDC5 Conference is a unique opportunity to ensure that these countries are not left behind - advancing their ambition, and unlocking their potential for prosperity. Silvero stressed that developed countries and international institutions are now required to stand by the LDCs to confront the challenges of poverty, climate change and food security, by increasing funding for development goals and infrastructure. 

HE Permanent Representative of Malta to UN Vanessa Fraser affirmed that the LDCs still facing severe difficulties in achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030, noting the commitment of her country and the European Union to strengthening global partnerships with the group of these countries. Her Excellency spoke about the difficulties facing the LDCs, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which negatively affected the social and economic aspects of these countries due to the decline in exports, the cessation of international tourism in some countries, the decrease in remittances, and the shrinking of foreign direct investment. Speaking at the plenary session of the conference, HE Deputy Permanent Representative of the Independent State of Samoa to UN Matilda Bartley spoke on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, where she indicated that eight members of the Small Island Developing States are among the LDCs and the situation in them is getting more dangerous in times of crisis, which contributed to the elimination of a large proportion of the development gains in these countries. She pointed out that the LDCs are characterized by their low level of human development, but they carry high risks of economic and environmental vulnerability, and therefore the matter calls for rapid action by the international community to ensure sustainability in these countries. For his part, HE Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Portuguese Republic Francisco André said that his country will always remain one of the strongest advocates for the rights of the LDCs, and strongly supports the full implementation of the Doha Programme of Action 2022-2031. In this context, he stressed the importance of strengthening the participation of LDCs in global value chains, promoting open and fair trade rules, investing in training a skilled workforce capable of driving economic growth, and creating "sustainable graduate support facility" in due course, which will advise countries on preparing for LDC graduations. (QNA)