51吃瓜

Background

Since the establishment of the LDC category in 1971, International Support Measures (ISMs) for LDCs have been formulated mostly in the areas of trade, development cooperation, and support for participation in UN and other international fora. However, advancement of new agendas such as the green and digital transition and increasing global vulnerabilities, coupled with the persisting lack of diversification and dependence on volatile commodities in LDCs, as well as downward trend of ODA to LDCs, have limited the adequacy of existing ISMs.

These challenges are even more pronounced for many graduating and landlocked LDCs. Most of the 15 LDCs recommended for graduation are still facing high levels of vulnerabilities and need to enhance resilience to advance sustainable graduation. Likewise, the 16 landlocked LDCs face specific vulnerabilities related to limited connectivity.

At the same time, access to some dedicated ISMs such as preferential market access and development finance instruments has been limited, restricting the ability of LDCs to fundamentally address structural vulnerabilities and productive capacity issues. Against this backdrop, this session will identify ISMs and other partnerships, including South-South and triangular cooperation, that need updating and discuss how to renew and adapt them to the new more interconnected and complex context of increasing multidimensional vulnerabilities and lack of productive transformation, including by leveraging the LDC5 Monitor, an independent partnership to monitor the DPoA implementation.