Press Conference on Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries

A panel of nine global economic and political leaders would aim to nail down innovative ways to help develop the world’s poorest countries in the run-up to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Turkey next year, key members of the group said today at a Headquarters press conference.

After their first meeting this morning with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other members of the Group of Eminent Persons for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the panel’s co-chairs — former Mali President Alpha Oumar Konaré and former World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn — met with reporters to discuss the Group’s plans.  Mr. Wolfensohn said a draft report on the topic should be ready in January.

The United Nations official guiding the Organization’s efforts in the area — Cheick Sidi Diarra, Special Adviser on Africa and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States — said the Group would aim to revamp the landscape of international partnerships and other vehicles used to support the 49 United Nations-identified low-income countries.

Slated for 30 May to 3 June 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, the conference would be an opportunity to reaffirm the global commitments made at major United Nations meetings, as well as spark additional support and action.  The gathering would take place just as the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (2001-2010) — known as the Brussels Programme after the Belgian capital where it was adopted — came to a close.  That action plan outlined measures by both industrialized nations and the least developed countries themselves to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.

Mr. Diarra said one goal of the nine-member group would be to raise awareness of the needs of the world’s poorest countries.  Nearly half of their populations — about 800 million people — lived in extreme poverty and lacked access to basic social services.  They suffered considerably during external shocks, such as natural and man-made disasters and communicable diseases.

Noting that 33 of the 49 least developed countries were in Africa, Mr. Konaré said, and stressed there would never be peace in the world if the international community did not accept responsibility for the situation facing those nations.  He said the Group, appointed by the Secretary-General in late August 2010, was not just a “political message of commitment” and the situation had to change.  The Group would not rubber stamp what others had done.

In response to a journalist’s query about the report’s intent, Mr. Wolfensohn said the Group would look at the components of the current international aid system and the responsibilities lying with both the countries giving funds, and those receiving funds.  “The simple answer is not just more money,” said Mr. Wolfensohn, who ended his second five-year term as World Bank President in 2000.  The Group would explore questions of governance and shared responsibility and “hopefully come up with some balanced view on how development can be better taken care of.”

Responding to a question of how the global economic crisis impacted aid to these countries, Mr. Wolfensohn said that during any economic crisis an individual country would tend to focus on its own internal conditions.  “That’s a reaction that is unfortunately normal and the issue of money for developed countries was not high on the agenda,” he said, adding that the report would look at the sources of funds and factors inhibiting their effective delivery.

Mr. Diarra said his Office would work to draw the Member States’ attention to the needs of the poorest countries as the Organization prepared for the Istanbul conference.  The Brussels Programme had produced some positive results, such as boosting official development aid (ODA) flows to the least developed countries, persuading many countries to open up their markets to goods from those nations, and slashing their debt.  But it was not enough and “we had to be more creative”.  He noted that only two countries, Cape Verde and the Maldives, were set to emerge from the least developed countries category by the end of the Brussels Programme next year.

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For information media • not an official record