7 December 2012: The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee (Economic and Financial) has approved draft resolutions A/C.2/67/L.53, on the “Follow-up to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries” (LDC IV), and A/C.2/67/L.51, on a “Smooth transition for countries graduating from the list of least developed countries.” The drafts were approved on 7 December 2012, in New York, US.

The first text reaffirms the UN’s commitment to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and to the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Decade 2011-2020 (IPoA). It calls on developing countries and their partners to fulfill commitments made in this Programme of Action, along with the support of the Office of the High Representative for LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), whose resources are requested to be increased. The Bretton Woods and other financial institutions are called on to implement the Programme of Action, as are the private sector, civil society, and international foundations.

The second text also expresses concern regarding the decrease of official development assistance (ODA) to LDCs by 2% globally in 2011. It recalls the IPoA’s commitment to further enhance resources and assistance given to LDCs, and stresses the need for mutual accountability between LDCs and their development partners. It takes note of the work of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group for LDCs, and requests that the UN Secretary-General implement it within the UN framework for better system-wide coordination.

The draft resolution also considers countries graduating out of the LDC category, and emphasizes the need for a smooth development transition. The draft requests that donors, national governments, and the UN system recognize the need for continued assistance of these countries, and discusses a consultative mechanism for the implementation of a smooth transition strategy. The UN system is encouraged to extend voluntary travel budgets to graduated countries, and the Office of the High Representative for LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries, and SIDS (OHRLLS) is called on to support the relationship between these countries and LDCs. [Draft Resolution A/C.2/67/L.53] [Draft Resolution A/C.2/67/L.51] [Status of Draft Resolutions in Second Committee]