18 October 2010: The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) met on 18 October 2010, in New York, US, to consider groups of countries in special situations, looking ahead towards the Fourth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 30 May-3 June 2010.

Cheick Sidi Diarra, Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Africa and High Representative for the LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), opened the session and introduced the UN Secretary-General’s report on implementation of the Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Decade 2001-2010 (document A/65/80–E/2010/77 and A/65/215), which says the Fourth Conference must focus on the specific vulnerabilities of LDCs, helping them to design and implement long-term development strategies as well as concrete measures to deal with country-specific vulnerabilities, including high risks from external shocks, including those resulting from climate change. The High Representative also introduced the report of the UN Secretary-General on implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries (document A/65/215). The report reviews progress by landlocked developing countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and highlights some of the challenges confronting them, such as climate change. He stressed that inadequate transport infrastructure and the effects of climate change had put LDCs at a grave disadvantage, adding that the Almaty Programme of Action was a “holistic framework” for the establishment of genuine partnerships.

On financial issues, Timor-Leste stressed the need to amplify communication and dialogue with donor countries so as to increase the targeting and efficiency of resources to address climate change. Solomon Islands pointed out that climate change had caused pockets of poverty in several countries, and underlined the need for new and additional resources, as well as for technology transfer. Underlining the extreme vulnerability to climate change of SIDS, Maldives said they were among the least prepared to graduate from least-developed status. He added that all those countries graduating from least-developed status thus far had been SIDS, yet there were no measures in place to help them cope with their severe development disadvantages. Maldives called for: a review of the shortcomings in institutional support, as well as other constraints in order fully to implement the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of ISDS and the Bali Plan of Action; and the international community to continue its support for graduating countries, especially SIDS.

On upcoming international conferences, Solomon Islands underlined the need to conclude a legally-binding agreement at the upcoming climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico, as a focused legal framework to help LDCs and SIDS. She also called for the Istanbul Conference to result in a new, targeted and action-oriented programme to lift LDCs out of poverty [UN Press Release]