PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CONFERENCE CONCLUDES SECOND SESSION

Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee

For Third United Nations Conference

 On Least Developed Countries

5^th Meeting (PM)

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CONFERENCE

CONCLUDES SECOND SESSION

The Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee for the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries concluded its week-long second session this afternoon.

The Conference itself, which will be held in Brussels next May, will address the concerns of least developed countries.  It is expected to review progress since the second Least Developed Countries Conference, which took place in Paris in 1990, and determine strategies and priorities for the future.  The current preparatory session was devoted to the first formal reading of a draft programme of action for the decade 2001-2010, which will be adopted at the Conference, and consideration of national reports on preparations for the Conference.

[Least developed countries are the poorest countries in the world.  They are officially designated as "least developed" by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the basis of a number of criteria, including low national income, low levels of human development (a combined health, nutrition and education index) and economic vulnerability.  There are currently 48 designated least developed countries, and they have a combined population of 610.5 million -- 10.5 per cent of the world total.  In the development efforts of the United Nations, they receive particular attention, since their development needs are greater than those of other developing countries.]

As it closed its session, the Committee adopted a draft decision (document A/CONF.191/IPC/L.6) by which it extended to 31 March the deadline for accreditation of interested civil society actors.  The text also asked the Secretary-General of the Conference to submit the list of those actors which expressed interest in time to meet the extended deadline. 

The Committee also approved the participation, in the Conference and its preparatory process, of a list of civil society actors that had applied by

26 January (document A/CONF.191/IPC/CRP.5), subject to objections that might be made later.  A deadline of 16 February for objections to the list was suggested. 

[Non-governmental organizations with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), or which participated in the second Conference, have already been invited to participate in the Conference.  The list provisionally approved today is of organizations that were not previously accredited, and had not previously participated.]

In other business this afternoon, the Committee took up parts one and two of the composite text of the draft programme of action, which includes revised text of the first four draft commitments it contains.  Once the text had been completed, and member’s suggestions have been taken into account, a revised text would be circulated.

Also today, the Committee adopted its draft report (document A/CONF.191/IPC/L.5 and Add.1 & 2), which gives a summary of the statements made by participants during the second session.  The report was introduced by R.T. Dogani (United Republic of Tanzania), Committee Rapporteur.  The final version of the text, which would be completed under the Rapporteur’s authority, would be distributed following the session.

Jacques Scavee (Belgium), Committee Chairman, stressed the importance of having a complete compilation containing all proposed corrections and amendments to the programme of action before the Committee’s bureau when it undertakes informal negotiations on the text.  He proposed that the negotiating groups that had not yet submitted their amendments on the second set of draft commitments (5,6 and 7) do so as soon as possible.  That may permit the bureau to hold an informal negotiating session, subject to the availability of conference services, in the week preceding the next (third) session of the Committee.  The Committee Chairman told members he would keep them informed between sessions on progress made. 

Following requests for the establishment of a deadline for receipt of proposed amendments to the text, he set a deadline of 1 March.  He stressed, however, the importance of receiving a complete text as soon as possible.

Questions and comments were made this afternoon by the representatives of Cuba, India, China, Sweden (on behalf of the European Union), Canada, Djibouti, Iran (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries), United States, Japan and Benin.  A representative of the European Commission also spoke. 

Representatives of the Preparatory Committee secretariat provided explanations and clarifications.

This week’s session was attended by representatives of over 115 countries, and a number of non-governmental organizations met in parallel to the Preparatory Committee to prepare for the NGO forum which will be held in Brussels from 10 to 20 May . 

Also addressing the session were representatives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Bank, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations Postal Union (UPU), International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  The Coordinator for the Least Developed Countries group of States outlined the concerns and aspirations of those countries.

During the session, speakers stressed the importance of debt cancellation, official development assistance, foreign direct investment and market access for

the least developed.  The active participation in the process of all stakeholders -- governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental -- was also deemed important, as was achieving consensus on an integrated, focussed and action-oriented programme with specific time-bound targets and a clear division of responsibility.  Clear, balanced, mutual commitments in the text regarding major issues such as democracy, good governance, respect for human rights, rule of law, gender, transparency and conflict prevention were also key.

Addressing the Committee at the second meeting of the session, Harri Holkeri (Finland), President of the General Assembly, said development could no longer be viewed as the business of governments alone.  Development was the collective business of the peoples of the United Nations.  Unless the civil society, the private sector, the media, lawmakers and academia got involved in the process, the international community would deprive itself of the enormous potential offered by those entities.

From 14 to 20 May, seven interactive sessions of the Conference will focus on such critically important issues as good governance, peace and stability; the agricultural sector and food security; health; international trade, commodities and services, including tourism; investment and enterprise development; infrastructure; and financing.   Three round tables -- on energy, on education and on transport -- will also take place.  Parallel events to the Conference will include a high-level parliamentarian round table, business sector and young entrepreneurs' meetings and youth and women's forums.

The third session of the Preparatory Committee will be held in April to continue work on the documents for the Conference.

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