The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Report 2015, subtitled ‘Transforming Rural Economies,' in which UNCTAD proposes a road map to fight the root causes of migration flows within and from the LDCs, as well as to eliminate poverty by 2030.
25 November 2015: The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Report 2015, subtitled ‘Transforming Rural Economies,’ in which UNCTAD proposes a road map to fight the root causes of migration flows within and from the LDCs, as well as to eliminate poverty by 2030.
Noting that the eradication of poverty by 2030 is one of the main objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNCTAD highlights the need for structural changes focused on fighting poverty by developing synergies between agricultural modernization and diversification of the rural economy.
Noting that more than two thirds of the population of LDCs live in rural areas, and 60% work in agriculture, while economic growth in LDCs has continued to slow, reaching 5.5% in 2014 as compared to 6.1% in 2013, UNCTAD recommends placing more importance on non-farm rural activities, instead of primarily focusing on increasing agricultural productivity, as well as increasing the production of higher-value agricultural products. [UNCTAD Press Release] [Launch Events] [Publication: The Least Developed Countries Report 2015: Transforming Rural Economies]