17 May 2011: In a op-ed published originally in the South China Morning Post, Ajay Chibber, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director for Asia and Pacific, underscores the need to support the least developed countries (LDCs) in building their resilience and reducing their vulnerability to external shocks, including natural disasters and man-made crises.

In the article, titled “Poorest countries need help to build up their resilience” and reproduced on UNDP’s website, Chibber notes that despite accelerated economic growth of about 7% per year, about half of the population in LDCs are still living on less than $1.25 a day. He highlights that the recent global increase in food prices by 10% in developing countries in Asia could push 64 million people into extreme poverty, stressing that climate change and other natural disasters could compound these challenges. He notes that although LDCs are responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, they are often the most vulnerable to climate change. In order to address climate vulnerabilities, he stresses the need for: investments in early warning, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and preparedness; and increased support by developed countries to climate financing.

Chibber concludes by providing examples of win-win approaches that build on the synergies between the fight against poverty and climate change. [The Op-Ed “Poorest countries need help to build up their resilience”]