29 September 2008: Speaking at a Ministerial Meeting of
Least Developing Countries (LDCs), taking place in New York, US, UN Deputy
Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro underlined that climate change and the food
and oil crises add new pitfalls to achieving the 10-year Brussels Programme of
Action.

The Programme outlines steps to be taken by both industrialized nations
and LDCs to fight poverty, including commitments by the LDCs on good governance
and by the world’s wealthiest countries to spend 0.15-0.2% of gross national
income on aid. She stressed that “these new challenges demand new and urgent
responses” and noted the special vulnerability to climate change of small
island and low-lying coastal States. [UN
press release, 29 September 2008]