51吃瓜

“Forging partnerships for the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs”

The Republic of Malawi, the State of Qatar, and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) convened a high-level luncheon on the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries during the week of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday 22 September 2022.

The Doha Programme of Action was adopted in March 2022 and the high-level luncheon served to reinvigorate global solidarity and partnerships for the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action and leverage momentum in favour of the Fifth 51吃瓜 Conference on LDCs, taking place from 5 to 9 March 2023.

The luncheon was attended by Heads of States and Governments, Ministers and Heads of Delegations of LDCs and their development partners, Heads of UN entities, and selected representatives from the private sector.

In his welcoming remarks, H.E Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, welcomed participants and recognized the role of Malawi as chair of the group of the LDCs. The Minister also thanked the Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his participation (via a pre-recorded message) and the presence of other entities of the UN system at large.

Minister Al-Muraikhi noted that least developed countries, which are rich in their vast potential in human and natural resources to achieve growth and prosperity, are making unremitting efforts to overcome the enormous burdens that the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis, and other unprecedented challenges are placing on their shoulders. He further noted that the adoption of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) for the least developed countries (LDCs) brings a momentum to keep LDCs as a high priority in the global agenda. In this regard, he noted that the State of Qatar looks forward to hosting the second part of the Fifth 51吃瓜 Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha from 5 to 9 March 2023. H.E. Mr. Al-Muraikhi remarked that after the adoption of the DPoA, it is vital that the LDCs and their development partners move towards effective implementation of the programme. Therefore, he encouraged the international community to come to Doha with commitments that fortify global and inclusive partnerships to effectively meet the special needs of the least developed countries.

In his opening remarks, the President of Malawi, H.E. Mr. Lazarus Chakwera, referred to the DPoA as a clear action agenda to recover from Covid-19, eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. He also referred to the effects of the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis, with increasing frequency of climate disasters. He stressed that without increased action and enhanced support, LDCs face a grim reality and an uncertain future. In 2020, for instance, LDC’s exports declined significantly, with LDCs’ commercial services exports contracting by 35 per cent, compared to 20 per cent worldwide. He also pointed out that international financial flows are not reaching the poorest countries.

The President underlined that finding a way forward demands strong commitment and a clearly-defined vision from all LDCs and their partners. He called for urgent, increased action and enhanced support for LDCs to reach the SDGs, with a special focus on trade, aid, and financing for sustainable energy transition. He called on everyone to turn the LDC5 momentum into a movement to make the Doha Conference a success to witness new, longstanding partnerships to address the pressing challenges of LDCs.

Through a video message, the Secretary-General called for enhanced support for the LDCs, including through debt relief to enable them to address their increasing challenges. He stressed that the international community must advance true development and a recovery that works for all people and all countries - starting with those who need it the most.

The Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, reiterated the importance of the LDC5 Conference and its links to other international conferences, including the SDG Summit. She stressed the need for the COP27 to mobilise climate finance including for Loss and Damage. She also highlighted the commitment of UN agencies to support LDCs on the ground. She highlighted the opportunity to build and strengthen their partnerships in March, adding that they should also make use of other opportunities throughout the year to focus on key issues. She concluded by reflecting on the recent tragedy in Pakistan, and how it serves as a wake-up call for the work ahead.

The Minister State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, as the Chair of G77 and China, highlighted that LDCs are facing disproportionate challenges in accessing support to advance their development. She flagged that the world is witnessing growing inequalities with increasing hunger. Thus, to leave no one behind, must start with the ones furthest behind. To achieve the ambitious goals of DPoA, enhanced support is needed. She noted that the Covid-19 vaccine shortage must be addressed (including production in the south), ODA commitments must be implemented, real debt relief before countries default must be provided, and unutilized Special Drawing Rights can provide a speedy avenue to provide additional liquidity to countries in distress. She also underlined that the current disaster in Pakistan reinforces the need to take action now on the climate disaster at hand and that the window for action to address climate catastrophe is closing fast.

Mr. Brad Smith, Vice-chair and President of Microsoft, highlighted that problems of LDCs are profound but there are also opportunities to unpack, especially as countries and partners are convening in Doha next year. He suggested that now that the DPoA has already been adopted, the time has come for the private sector to get more involved in its implementation and added that this would help to create more energy to follow the road laid out in the DPoA. He remarked that the need for access to digital broadband connectivity needs to be addressed together with other needs like electrification. He also referred to the opportunity for LDCs to leapfrog to renewable energy and provide people with skills, especially digital ones. He then talked about the existing potential in LDCs, alluding to the many examples of creative entrepreneurs in LDCs, and explaining how technology can aid in having a broader and more prosperous impact. He concluded by voicing that if all stakeholders are brought together at LDC5, this can become a real movement of change and the potential of LDCs can be realized.

The Prime Minister of Lesotho reminded that the luncheon was taking place in the midst of critical times and how important it is to achieve a success with the opportunity that LDC5 in Doha provides. He noted that there is enough capital in the world to recover from the impact of the ongoing crises. He underlined that shock vulnerability remains as high as ever for LDCs, and that Covid-19 has rapidly erased the development gains achieved. The Prime Minister called on UN entities to work together in supporting LDCs. He also called for simplifying and unifying the programmes that are being promoted across different platforms, addressing same key issues.

The Vice-President of Uganda informed that her country has commenced mainstreaming of the six priority areas of the DPoA into a national development plan. However, additional support will be needed for ensuring more effective implementation, building national capacities, and recovering from the pandemic. She reiterated Uganda’s commitment to fully implementing the DPoA, and assured that Uganda will continue to work to mobilise support.

The Minister of International Development of Canada stressed that crises like the flooding in Pakistan do not receive adequate attention. He reflected that the DPoA provides a concrete guide for change and Canada is stepping up support to address the food crisis, which was made worse by the Russian war in Ukraine. He also noted that Canada contributed to debt suspension and reiterated that focus on women and girls must be retained in everything we do.

The Minister of Education of Bangladesh called on the UN system, IFIs and others partners to implement the DPoA. She highlighted that LDCs need scaled up support by means of ODA, concessional financing, and technology transfer to enhance their productive capacity and ensure adequate investment in their infrastructural and human development efforts. The Minister also stressed the importance to incentivize graduation and for a robust collaborative framework between OHRLLS and other actors to implement the DPOA on the ground in line with national priorities.

The representative of Türkiye stressed that the international community needs to put vulnerable countries at the top of the agenda and build on the progress achieved during the Istanbul Programme of Action. She stated Türkiye’s strong support to Qatar and LDCs in making the LDC5 Conference a top tier event, putting the recovery of vulnerable countries at the top of the global agenda.

The President of ECOSOC reaffirmed that she stands ready to make the LDC5 a success and that it will be a reality check for the implementation of the DPoA.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of United States emphasized that the US recognized the unique circumstances that LDCs now find themselves in, and that the US is committed to be a good and reliable partner to all LDCs. She informed that the US has donated an additional $2.9 million dollars to food security on top of the $6 billion they have already spent since the start of this year. She articulated that the US has pledged generously to support in overcoming health-related challenges. She reiterated that we must not leave anyone behind, including women and indigenous communities. She then stressed that investing in young people is key and was a major takeaway from the Transforming Education Summit. The Deputy Permanent Representative concluded by urging to make investments that do not foster dependency but rather help create self-sufficiency.

The Head of EU Delegation to the UN stressed that the EU is fully aware of the tremendous challenges of LDCs, including growing debt, poverty and hunger. He then reassured that the EU is not distracted by the Russian war from other global challenges, such as those of the LDCs, and the EU remains fully committed to the implementation of the DPoA and the greater financial inclusion of LDCs.

The Permanent Representative of Canada, speaking in his capacity as the Co-chair of the LDC 5 preparatory committee, pointed out the importance of deliverables that will make a real difference. He reflected on how each of us comes from a place where we know poverty and discrimination, and the urgent need to get back on track towards the SDGs.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of China stressed the importance of ownership and leadership of LDCs in their own development trajectory, and that support needs to take the priorities of LDCs into account. He highlighted the role of sharing best practices to the LDCs through South-South and triangular cooperation. In this regard, he noted that China announced during the UNGA the first batch of projects of the Global Development Initiative, most of which benefit the LDCs, providing concrete measures to implement the DPoA.

Ms. Preeti Sinha, Executive Secretary of UNCDF stressed the importance of private investment and bringing the private sector as partner in the implementation of the DPoA. She highlighted lack of access to capital for those who need it the most, lack of bankable projects in developing countries and lack of private capital investment in development. She invited governments, development partners and private sector to interact, innovate and invest.

In her closing remarks, USG and High Representative, Ms. Rabab Fatima underlined how encouraging it was to hear the re-affirmation of solidarity and support from the Friends of LDCs, especially in the midst of the challenging global situation, called for the implementation of the DPoA and the success of theLDC5 Conference. She discussed the roadmap on the implementation of the DPoA that OHRLLS is preparing, compiling the necessary actions for its implementation. She also flagged the importance of high-level participation at LDC5 and urged everyone to come to Doha with concrete action plans and initiatives. Before closing, she thanked Qatar for hosting the luncheon and providing continued support to the least developed countries and the organization of the LDC5 Conference.