Three groups of countries in special situations are the focus of a new Board of Advisers to the UNGA President, which began its work in November 2020. The least developed countries (LDCs), the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and the small island developing States (SIDS) were also the subject of the first ‘Morning Dialogue’ convened by the President of the 75th UNGA session.

The Morning Dialogues are closed meetings held between the UNGA President and small groups of Permanent Representatives. They aim to facilitate open discussion on issues of concern for Member States. UNGA President Volkan Bozkir held the first such dialogue of the 75th session on the topic, ‘LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS at the UN: Action for the Most Vulnerable 91,’ on 6 November 2020. 

The Board of Advisers for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS was launched in October 2020 and held its inaugural meeting on 24 November 2020. According to the summary released by the Office of the UNGA President, the discussion took up many of the same themes and concerns expressed by Member States in the Morning Dialogue.

On impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants in the Morning Dialogue said that without a targeted global response for sustained support in the wake of the pandemic, the most vulnerable countries could experience as much as a 30% economic contraction. The UNGA should make these countries a “strategic global priority.” During the Board of Advisers’ meeting later that month, discussions highlighted that the pandemic could widen the gap between the vulnerable countries and the rest of the world.

Speakers at the Morning Dialogue emphasized the need for a multi-dimensional vulnerability index that looks beyond GDP. 

On a multi-dimensional vulnerability index, some at the Morning Dialogue highlighted this tool among other customized approaches for supporting vulnerable countries. Participants also pointed to a need to formally reconsider the LDC graduation process, which poses challenges for access to concessional financing and reduces overseas development assistance. A multi-dimensional vulnerability index that looks beyond GDP was highlighted as imperative and in need of political and technical attention.

During the Advisers’ discussion, it was noted that many of the vulnerabilities faced by these countries compound each other, and there is a need to overhaul “outdated methods of assessing and tracking progress.” The multi-dimensional vulnerability index presents a potential alternative to and improvement on “more simplistic measures of development.”

On programmes of action, discussion at the Morning Dialogue noted that progress has been limited on the implementation of key frameworks for vulnerable countries: the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway (2015-2030), the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024, and the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020. Progress towards the 2030 Agenda in these countries has been “mixed.”

During the Board meeting, the Advisers said there is a need for greater coordination between these programmes of action as well as the 2030 Agenda. They added that to achieve the SDGs, vulnerable countries need financing for innovative and transformative solutions to their development challenges.

Also during the Board of Advisers’ meeting, the Board reviewed a tentative plan of work, including meetings on financing, partnerships, and coherence across work streams. They discussed upcoming opportunities to increase support for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, and the Board plans to develop key messages to enhance advocacy and strategic efforts.

On 18 June 2021, the UNGA and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will hold a half-day joint thematic debate on LDCs. Details will be developed through consultations with the Group of Friends on LDCs. The UN is also preparing for a January 2022 conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-V) in Doha, Qatar. The preparatory committee for the conference plans to meet in May and July 2021. [Summary of first Morning Dialogue (annex to newsletter)] [Summary of Board of Advisers’ first meeting]