Ministers from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the Asia-Pacific region emphasized the need for structural transformation of their economies to enable achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the close of a three-day meeting organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Representative for LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS).
16 December 2014: Ministers from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the Asia-Pacific region emphasized the need for structural transformation of their economies to enable achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the close of a three-day meeting organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Representative for LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS).
The meeting provides input to international discussions on financing for development, the post-2015 development agenda and SDGs, and a global climate agreement.
Gyan Chandra Acharya, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative, OHRLLS, urged all countries to be steadfast in ensuring that LDCs’ graduation and sustainable development are “cornerstones” of the SDGs, and called on development partners for support through aid, investment and trade-related measures.
The meeting adopted the Kathmandu Declaration for Sustainable Graduation of Asia-Pacific LDCs, which sets out detailed recommendations for governments and development partners to help achieve graduation of countries from the LDC category.
The Declaration, adopted in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 16 December, also: highlights the role of “productive capacity building,” including support for LDCs in transitioning to a low-carbon economy; welcomes the Cotonou Agenda for productive capacity building in LDCs, which was adopted in Benin in July 2014; underlines the growing importance of regional cooperation and integration in the Asia-Pacific region; and observes that emerging economies in the region are “moving up the value chain,” leaving space for LDCs to develop competitive manufacturing and service activities.
On climate, the Declaration expresses deep concern regarding the disproportionate adverse impacts of climate change on LDCs, and calls on Asia-Pacific LDCs to make use of the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LOCAL), which aims to enhance LDCs’ direct access to climate change financing mechanisms. It specifically calls on the UN Secretary-General and OHRLLS to lead the establishment of a “crisis mitigation and resilience building action plan” with the support of development partners.
The Declaration calls for “differential and preferential treatment for LDCs” with regard to their access to markets, finance, technologies and know-how. In particular, it calls on LDCs’ development partners to ensure timely and effective operationalization of the Technology Bank for LDCs and the Investment Promotion Regime for LDCs. Other measures recommended include the full cancellation of multilateral and bilateral debts owed by LDCs, and concrete actions to promote orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration.
The Declaration emphasizes the importance of the mid-term review of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPOA) and the related conference in Antaliya, Turkey, in 2016. It further affirms LDCs’ collective ambition to fulfill graduation criteria, and five countries in the region – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Nepal – have announced their intended graduation timelines.
Since the establishment of the LDC category in 1971, only four countries have graduated – Botswana, Cape Verde, Maldives and Samoa. [Kathmandu Declaration for Sustainable Graduation of Asia-Pacific LDCs] [OHRLLS Press Release] [Cotonou Agenda] [LDC Graduation Information] [UN Press Release]