51吃瓜

Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

It is an honour and privilege to welcome you to the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of
the category of Least Developed Countries.

On this occasion, I recall with deep appreciation the individuals and organizations, who have demonstrated steadfast
commitment to, and solidarity with the LDCs over the last 50 years.

We are gathered here today with renewed determination, but driven by the same vision and values, to finish the work that they had started.

To level the playing field, and to give every person in every LDC a fair chance to succeed in life.

It is worth reflecting briefly on the Group’s forward journey in partnership with the international community. 

The least developed countries were first recognized as a special category under the UN aegis by the 2nd 51吃瓜 Decade of Development adopted by the General Assembly in 1970.

In the following year, the General Assembly approved the firstever list of LDCs.

This marked the beginning of an evolving partnership between the LDCs and their development partners.

The 51吃瓜 convened the first Conference of the LDCs in 1981, which came against the backdrop of the oil and debt crises of that time.

Since then, we have seen four UN Conferences on LDCs. And we are now gathered here in Doha for the 5th one.

These conferences, coming once in every decade, had a common objective to put global attention on the most vulnerable countries in the world.

And to put the LDCs on a track to sustainable development and graduation with momentum.

The third such Conference culminated in the establishment of the UN Office of the High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and
SIDS.

This led to a remarkable change in the international community’s depth and level of engagement with these countries.

It brought forward a new era of UN system wide coordination, and coherence in support of the most vulnerable countries of the world, including the LDCs.

Excellencies,

The world has witnessed a major shift in the global development landscape since the Group of LDCs was established in 1971.

At the outset there were only 25 LDCs.

Over the years, the number of countries in the group increased, reaching its peak at 52 in 1991.

The Istanbul Program of Action for the decade of 2011-22 had an ambitious target to graduate half of the LDCs by 2020.

Although the target was not fulfilled, significant progress has been achieved.

Four LDCs graduated in that period.

And sixteen more are now in the pipeline of graduation.

The Doha Programme of Action sets a new target to enable additional 15 countries to meet the graduation criteria by the
end of this decade.

Progress in some other areas also took place over the past 50 years.

• In 1980, the average GDP growth rate in LDCs was 3.1 percent, which reached 7.4 per cent in 2005. That, however, fell to 1.9 per cent in 2021 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• From $284 in 1980, the GDP per capita of the Group reached $1,150 in 2021.
• And the total share of export increased from 0.52 per cent in 1990 to around 1 per cent now.

We must constantly remember that each one of these data represents real lives and livelihoods. Hopes, and dreams and
opportunities.

It should be noted however, that although progress was made, it remained uneven and asymmetric among different countries
within the group.

Many LDCs, especially those in Africa, continue to struggle with a set of systemic challenges.

The inequality between the LDCs and the rest of the world has further widened.

The rapid technological innovations and unfavorable global economic conditions have made the situation worse. 

A serious injustice also persists related to the greatest crisis of our times – the ongoing climate emergency.
Over the last 50 years, 69% of worldwide deaths caused by climate-induced disasters occurred in the LDCs.

And yet the LDCs account for only about 1.1% of the global emissions.

There is perhaps no clearer indicator that, historically, the rules of international development are stacked unfairly against the LDCs.

Added to this, the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts in different parts of the world, and the cascading impacts of the food, fuel and financial crises are all affecting the LDCs most disproportionately.

Naturally, these overlapping crises have severely impacted the LDCs and derailed their journey towards achieving the 2030
Agenda. 

Excellencies,

Despite all these challenges, and a turbulent 50-year history, we arrive in Doha with hope. Solidarity will have its day.

Addressing the challenges of the LDCs is not only a moral imperative, but an economic and political one.

And – crucially - we have the means and tools to do it.

We have come to the Conference with the Doha Programme of Action, the DPOA, already adopted by consensus in 2022, and
well into its first year of implementation.

This is an ambitious global strategy.

It can drive sustainable recovery from the pandemic, resilience against future shocks and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the LDCs.

If we can bring to fruition, the commitments, targets, and deliverables of the DPOA, we can put the 46 LDCs on a transformative journey towards rapid economic growth and sustainable development.

Excellencies,

The history of the LDCs is not just one of difficulty. It is also a history of human endeavor through adversity. Struggle, and success, against the odds.

By implementing the Doha Programme of Action, we can do more to even those odds; to give equal opportunities to all; and
to make success easier to come by.

The LDCs do represent an enormous human, cultural and natural resource potential.

With 1.2 billion people, which is likely to increase to 2 billion by 2050, LDCs are “high growth potential countries”.

They are endowed with 218 million young people. If this demographic dividend can be harnessed, there will be transformative socio-economic changes in these countries.

To that end, the Conference has brought together partners from all walks of life, including the youth leaders.

Excellencies,

Resource mobilization, for the LDCs, has always been a daunting task. To address this, the DPOA has put forward ambitious targets and practical solutions.

For example:

• The target of doubling LDCs’ share of export will generate an additional $235 billion.
• Doubling the aid for trade will channel an additional $20 billion dollars.
• Meeting 0.20 per cent of GNI by the DAC countries will increase the ODA by another $60 billion.
• And robust debt relief measures could release around another $35 billion.

The combined difference of these steps alone would be truly transformative.

This Conference provides us a great opportunity to make these aims achievable.

We have brought together nearly 5000 representatives from across the world - from Governments, the private sector, CSOs,
parliamentarians, youth, and the media.

Collectively, you have the power, knowledge, and the necessary means to change the course for the LDCs.

Let us all seize the moment and start on that journey, now, here in Doha.

A journey from potential to prosperity.

I thank you all.