Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - Inter-Agency Task Force

Twelve Least Developed Countries on Path to Graduation Reflects Significant Development Progress – Despite Ongoing Setbacks

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 19:15:00 +0000

vanuatu_connor_ashleigh.jpg

Third grade students mastering literacy skills and acquiring new concepts during class at Norsup Primary School, Vanuatu.

Connor Ashleigh / AusAID

NEW YORK 12 October 2020 – The Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) set an ambitious goal to see half of the LDCs graduate from the category during its period of implementation of 2011-2020. Though that target has not been met, progress made by several LDCs has led to a record number meeting the graduation criteria.

�� Committee for Development Policy (CDP) reviews the Least Developed Country (LDC) Category every three years to monitor member countries’ progress against measurements of income, human assets and vulnerability.

At present,twelve countries out of 47 are on, or about to join, the path to graduation.This is a positive development reflecting significant progress in the past number of years, especially when compared to previous decades.

Graduation from the LDC category marks an important milestone in the development path of each LDC. However, the phasing-out of international support measures associated with LDC status could present challenges for graduating countries in their efforts to further integrate into the global economy.

This December, Vanuatu will graduate, followed by Angola in early 2021. Bhutan is scheduled to graduate in 2023 and São Tomé and Príncipe and the Solomon Islands the following year.

In February 2021, the CDP is expected to hold its triennial review of the LDC category. Lao PDR, Bangladesh and Myanmar, depending on their performance on the LDC criteria and other aspects of their development trends, could be recommended for graduation.

The potential eligibility of Nepal, Timor-Leste, Kiribati and Tuvalu for graduation will also be reconsidered in 2021.

However, the 2021 triennial review will be held against the backdrop of one of the worse global multifaceted crises in the history of the United Nations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought devastating social and economic consequences, including on global trade and tourism, key sectors for many LDC economies. It is now threatening to roll back progress made by a growing number of LDCs on the path to graduation. 

Strong support from development and trading partners has never been more urgently needed.

For graduating LDCs, the commitment to recover and Build Back Better along a sustainable graduation path has been remarkable. UN System support of these efforts, on the ground and at Headquarter level, has been a lifeline for many.

Graduation from the category continues to be a high-priority development objective for LDCs but it brings important challenges.

Ensuring a smooth graduation requires appropriate management of a transition away from LDC-specific support measures, including preferential market access for exports and access to some concessional financing instruments.

Graduating countries must also juggle other development objectives, including economic diversification, enhanced international value chain participation, and making productivity improvements. The impact of COVID-19 has added another layer of complexity to the task.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on graduation support established by OHRLLS in 2017 brings all entities involved, UN and otherwise, to the same table. Together, they formulate a common programme of assistance to help smoothen transitions and better coordinate the UN System-wide support for graduation.

For example, the IATF has been collaborating with the United Nations Resident Coordinators for Lao PDR, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and São Tomé and Príncipe to funnel support from all parts of the international system in the wake of COVID-19.

In September, the first in a series of virtual sessions on graduation implications for Lao PDR was held in collaboration with the government , the UN Resident Coordinator and the Task Force, represented by OHRLLS, DESA, UNCTAD and ESCAP.

More virtual sessions are planned to look at the trade and development finance implications of graduation, helping the Lao PDR prepare their own transition strategy as part of its national development plan.

In October and November, the Task Force will virtually host UN Resident Coordinators for Solomon Islands and São Tomé and Príncipe to help guide each country’s recovery and graduation plans.

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Statement at the Ambassadorial Level Meeting of LDCs

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 18:19:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

23 January 2019
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I take this opportunity to express my warm gratitude to the Chair of LDCs for convening this meeting. Since this is our first meeting in 2019, let me extend to you all a happy New Year!

The year 2018 was quite eventful in the UN. Among others, the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FFD), the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), Global Compact on Migration, UNDS repositioning and the management reform kept the delegates extremely busy and overwhelmed. I would like to commend the former Chair Bangladesh and the current Chair Malawi as well as other members of bureau, who did an excellent job in promoting the interest of LDCs in various forums.

Let me share with you some recent activities that my Office has been engaged with.

As you are aware the Technology Bank for LDCs is now fully operational. On 4 December 2018, our Director Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox formally handed over the leadership to the new Managing Director Mr. Joshua Setipa. In the first year of operations supported by my Office, the Technology Bank is carrying out capacity building in digital access to research in 12 LDCs and STI/Technology Needs Assessment in 5 LDCs. The initial phase of the functioning of the Bank remains challenging. My Office will continue to support the Bank as far as possible, including with the preparation of the 2019 work programme. It is critical that LDCs continue to keep the Technology Bank high on the agenda of intergovernmental discussions, with a view to promoting further mobilization of resources.

There has been considerable progress in the area of graduation. It is encouraging that 12 of the current LDCs have already fulfilled the criteria for graduation at least once. The ECOSOC and the General Assembly have already taken decisions on the graduation of Bhutan, Solomon Islands and Sao Tome and Principe. We have been advocating for continued and coordinated support to graduating and graduated countries to ensure that the graduation is sustainable and irreversible.

My office has set up an Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on graduation to enhance support for graduation and create related incentives. The IATF has agreed to send a joint mission to one of the graduating countries to provide coordinated support in preparation of its smooth transition strategies. As recommended by the Bureau of LDCs, we will invite some member States to the next meeting of the IATF.

Last year, my Office organized a consultative meeting of LDCs and the Friends of LDCs on Accelerating Progress Towards Graduation from the LDC Category, and progress towards access to broadband and sustainable energy, in Glen Cove. The event provided a platform to discuss progress towards graduation from the LDC category and the importance of graduation support.

We convened a two-day meeting of LDC national focal points with a number of UN agencies, on the sidelines of the HLPF 2018. It provided an opportunity for LDCs to learn from each other’s best practices and identify a range of effective policy options to accelerate implementation of the IPoA. The 2018 meeting also addressed statistical constraints of LDCs in monitoring the implementation of the IPoA and support for capacity building. The meeting also took stock of progress on graduation and exchanged views on enhanced support to graduating and graduated LDCs.

My Office is actively engaged in promoting access to sustainable energy in LDCs. We prepared a policy brief on achieving SDG7 in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. The Office actively participated in the work of SDG7 Technical Advisory Group and UN Energy to ensure that the concerns of LDCs are integrated into international development agenda. The Office organized together with UNCTAD a side event at the Global SDG7 Conference on Energy Access for Structural Transformation and Sustainable Development in the LDCs in Bangkok, February 2018. We also organized a competition for journalists from least developed countries on sustainable energy.

Last year, we convened the annual LDC Ministerial Breakfast meeting in Washington D.C. on the margins of the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings. The meeting focused on maximizing finance for development in LDCs on sustainable energy. The Deputy Secretary and Senior Officials from the WB attended the meeting. This year, the breakfast meeting will be held on 13 April focusing on how IDA 19 replenishment would strengthen resilience to shocks in LDCS. We will share with you the details shortly once they are finalized.

OHRLLS is supporting two main initiatives on investment promotion and support for LDCs. The Office designed the Investment Support Programme in cooperation with International Development Law Organization (IDLO). This provides investment-related negotiation and dispute-settlement advisory and representation services to LDC governments and LDC companies on a “pro-bono” or reduced-fee basis. The Programme is operational and I warmly invite you to make best use of it. The Office also designed, together with UNCTAD, UNIDO, ILO, EIF and WAIPA, a Capacity Development Programme for LDC investment promotion agencies. I would request your assistance in the fund-raising effort for this program.

The GA resolution of last year recognized that the multilateral risk reduction strategies and mechanisms have proven insufficient for LDCs. The GA also underlined the importance of improving the coordination and effectiveness of resilience-building initiatives for LDCs by leveraging existing measures at national, regional and global levels to respond to various kinds of shocks and crises. We will continue to undertake further analytical work on crisis mitigation and resilience building.

As part of our continued engagement in this area, our Flagship report 2018 has focused on crisis mitigation and resilience building for the LDCs. Our report suggests that resilience building needs to be a central element of the development strategies of LDCs using an integrated approach. The report recommends to further strengthen the ex-ante and ex-post risk management strategies for LDCs. A two-page summary of the report is shared with you today. The electronic version of the full report is available in our website.

OHRLLS facilitated preparation and the launch of the Broadband Commission report “Broadband for national development in four LDCs: Cambodia, Rwanda, Senegal and Vanuatu”. The report shows how broadband, or high-speed internet, helps LDCs overcome vulnerabilities, grow economies and enhance people’s livelihoods.

I had the opportunity to attend COP 24 held in Poland in December last year. COP24 agreed on the Paris Agreement “rulebook” - or “transparency framework”. At the COP24, the Parties updated the LDCs work programme to reflect the needs of the LDCs, thereby continuing support provided on a range of issues in favour of LDCs. As of 1 January 2019, the Chair of the LDCs Group under the UNFCCC has passed from Ethiopia to Bhutan. We seek to arrange briefings on the LDC climate change agenda to the PRs of LDCs in New York.

The UN-OHRLLS and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) of China are organizing a Global Conference on “Scaling-up Energy Access and Finance in Least Developed Countries”, which will be held from 30 -31 May 2019 in Beijing, China. The invitation for this event will be shared with you shortly.

My Office is also organizing a high-level side event on the theme “Leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation to Advance Sustainable Development in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS” tentatively on 21 March 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the margins of the BAPA+40. We will share with you the details including invitation in due course.

Excellencies,

I would now turn to the Fifth UN Conference on LDCs. The Second Committee resolution of last year contained very important decisions about the Fifth UN Conference on LDCs. Some key features of the Conference, as decided in the resolution, are as follows:

The Conference will be held for five days in 2021
There will be two Preparatory Committee Meetings for a duration of five days each in 2020/2021
Two regional review meetings will be held for a duration of 3 days each
There will be national level preparations and the UN System is encouraged to provide necessary support and to contribute actively to the preparatory process and the Conference itself
Broad terms of reference of the Conference, which include comprehensive appraisal of the implementation of the IPoA; addressing special needs of LDCs; new and emerging challenges; and mobilizing additional international support measures and action, to formulate and adopt a renewed partnership between the LDCs and their development partners
OHRLLS has been designated as the focal point for the preparations of the Conference We are working on developing concrete roadmap for the LDC5 and its preparatory process.

We have shared with you an initial draft for your kind review and consideration.

We organized an inter-agency consultative group (IACG) meeting attended by almost all the UN Development System (UNDS) entities, WB group, OECD-DAC and the regional commissions. Towards the preparation for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDC, the IACG agreed to undertake coordinated preparations for successful organization of the conference, including substantive publicationsfrom the UN agenciesto inform the preparations of the next LDC programme. Next IACG meeting will have concrete discussions on the preparatory process of the LDC5.

This year, we need to start preparation at the national level in each LDC. National level review of the implementation of the IPoA will be critical to get information from the ground on the lessons learned, share best practices, challenges encountered in terms of the implementation of the IPoA as well as the recommendations on the way forward to achieve 2030 Agenda and sustainable graduation in LDCs. My Office will shortly prepare guidelines/template of the national reports on the implementation of the IPoA. We will seek your strong support in finalizing evidence-based national reports in each LDC in a timely manner.

Identifying a generous host country of the LDC5 is vitally important for smooth organization of the Conference. We are reaching out to potential host countries, but yet to receive any concrete response. My Office will send letter to member Sates inviting them to express their interest in hosting LDC5. In a bureau meeting of LDCs held yesterday, we agreed to approach potential host country or countries collectively to expedite the finalization of the host country.

Before I conclude I would like to draw your kind attention to the global partnerships for LDCs. I am concerned that while LDCs are in need of scaled up international support, external assistance going to LDCs, continues to decline since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.

My Office is undertaking rigorous advocacy works with the donor countries and the countries of the emerging South to insist them to reverse the decline trend in their support to LDCs and to fulfil their commitments in the IPoA on DFQF market access, ODA, debt relief, FDI, capacity building and technology transfer. We are also engaged with the regional commissions, the OECD-DAC and the WB Groups to promote the issues of LDCs in these forums. I would request LDCs to speak-up and raise their voices in all relevant forums. We stand ready to extend all necessary support that you may need in this endeavor.

Excellencies,

The year 2019 is going to be packed with important conferences and summits. We need to undertake strong preparations for these events.

As you have seen, a draft “strategic priorities of LDCs for 2019-2021” has been shared with you. My Office worked closely with the Chair in putting together these strategic priorities. It has identified five strategic priorities and 12 specific activities to realize them. The document is quite comprehensive and will serve as an important guideline for the group and my Office in carrying out our activities in next three years. The draft also contains a list of upcoming events, that are especially important for LDCs. Your thorough examination and substantive contributions will further strenthen the document. My office stands ready to extend all necessary support in implementing this strategic paper.

I thank you all.

Front Page Article:

Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - Inter-Agency Task Force

Twelve Least Developed Countries on Path to Graduation Reflects Significant Development Progress – Despite Ongoing Setbacks

vanuatu_connor_ashleigh.jpg

Statement at the Ambassadorial Level Meeting of LDCs

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

23 January 2019 New York, USA

23 January 2019
New York, USA