Asian-Pacific LDCs develop regional position on eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development

29 January 2010 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Leaders from 15 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the Asia and Pacific regions convened last week in Dhaka, Bangladesh for a the three-day conference where senior representatives worked to develop a joint position to present at next year’s review of the Brussels Program of Action (PoA). The Brussels PoA is an initiative adopted in 2001 by the Third UN Conference on LDCs that seeks to promote sustainable development and eradicate hunger and poverty by 2015. Participants included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Yemen, the sole Middle Eastern LDC.

One main outcome on the Dhaka conference was the joint reaffirmation that LDCs must be allowed greater access to free markets, in order to benefit from trade and investment. Ambassador Muhamad Noor Yacob, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), told MediaGlobal: “When we speak of extending the benefits of globalization, we do not mean that the pie should be divided into more pieces. Rather, we mean that by strengthening trading partners, the pie itself becomes larger: there is more for everyone.”

Recent global issues, such as the economic crisis, food shortage, and climate change, were also topics of discussion, as they have affected LDCs most severely. The group voiced concern that if more is not done to aid LDCs in dealing with these current issues, any progress in development that has been made over the years is at risk of being undone.

High-level UN officials supported the call for a greater voice for LDCs in the international financial markets as well as greater aid assistance from donors. Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said developed nations “must honor their promises to help [LDCs] overcome the curse of unending poverty.” The results of the meeting will be presented at the annual ESCAP meeting to be held in South Korea in May, and will be open for further discussion and input from member countries. Nicola Winter