51吃瓜

The ministerial meeting aimed to provide strategic guidance for the last year of implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action and articulate the key sustainable development priorities of LDCs.  

BACKGROUND

Government Ministers from all 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) met virtually on the sidelines of the High-level week of the 75th General Assembly of the 51吃瓜 on September 17.

High on the agenda this year was the challenge of COVID-19 that is being felt all over the world but most keenly in the least developed countries.

Also discussed was the Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) to be held in Qatar in January 2022 and the 75th Anniversary of the 51吃瓜. 

Hosted by the Malawi Foreign Minister, Chair of the LDC Group, the annual meeting was also be attended by ministers from traditional donors and partner countries from the emerging South, known as "Friends of LDCs." The Deputy Secretary-General of the 51吃瓜 attended the meeting in a strong signal of support for the poorest and most vulnerable countries of the world.

The ministerial meeting aimed to provide strategic guidance for the last year of implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action and articulate the key sustainable development priorities of LDCs.  

The Programme also included statements by the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council and a representative from Qatar, host country of LDC5 Conference.

OUTCOME

The Ministerial Meeting adopted the .

DOCUMENTS

Background Materials 

• Concept Note
• Draft Programme
• Summary of the Ministerial Meeting 

Opening

• H.E. Mr. Eisenhower Mkaka
• H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir
• H.E. Ms. Amina Mohamed
• H.E. Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi
• Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu (Opening)
• Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu (Closing Remarks)

Ministers and Representatives of LDCs

• Timor-Leste
• Lesotho
• Bangladesh
• Ethiopia
• Sudan
• Benin
• Gambia
• Bhutan
• Afghanistan
• Lao PDR
• Myanmar
• Sierra Leone
• Nepal
• Liberia
• Cambodia
• Senegal
• Eritrea
• Yemen
• Uganda
• Malawi

Development Partners, International and Regional Organizations

• Economic and Social Council, President
• IFC, Vice President of Partnerships, Communication,?and Outreach
• World Bank, Vice President of Development Finance
• Turkey
• European Union
• Denmark
• Finland
• Italy
• Canada
• Belgium
• Portugal
• Brazil
• Norway
• Japan
• China
• United Kingdom

NEWS

• Foreign Ministers from Least Developed Countries Meet to Forge New Path Forward on Development Goals in Light of COVID-19

Photo: Community e-Centers help young people learn computer skills and programming in Bhutan.