27 September 2013: The UN Office for High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS) has released the ‘State of the Least Developed Countries 2013: Follow up of the Implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.’ The theme of this year’s report is ‘Productive Capacity Building in the LDCs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.’

The 110-page report argues that the international community should give priority to LDCs to accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and formulate the post-2015 development agenda. According to the report, building productive capacity is essential for achieving high and sustainable growth, structural transformation, and creation of employment and decent jobs.

The report presents a productive capacity-orientated development strategy for LDCs in the post-2015 era. The strategy is based around four pillars: employment-oriented macroeconomic policies; productive capacity-focused sectoral policies; enabling cross-cutting policies; and a supportive global partnership. The report also emphasizes the important role of the agricultural sector, and calls for raising productivity though scaled-up investments in infrastructure, as well as systematic promotion of technology, innovation and agricultural extension services. [Publication: State of the Least Developed Countries 2013] [OHRLLS Website, with Link to Press Release]