Despite Progress, World Must Tackle ‘Tremendous Amount of Unfinished Business’

 

to Help Least Developed Countries Meet Unique Needs, Secretary-General Warns

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the first meeting of the Group of Eminent Persons for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, in New York, 13 October:

Welcome to the United Nations and thank you for agreeing to give your time and energy to the cause of supporting the world’s least developed countries.

While least developed countries have undoubtedly achieved some progress, nearly half the population of these 49 countries — some 800 million people — continue to face conditions of absolute poverty and misery.  They lack access to basic social services and their economies; they suffer from weak human and institutional capacities; and they are acutely susceptible to external shocks, natural and man-made disasters and communicable diseases.

Since 1981, the United Nations has been implementing decade-long development programmes for the least developed countries.  The latest one, the Brussels Programme of Action, expires next year.

Yet there is a tremendous amount of unfinished business.  And this has been exacerbated by the impact of multiple global crises that have imposed unsustainable pressure on already vulnerable economies and Millennium Development Goal gains.

It is no exaggeration to call this a development emergency.  The aim of next year’s Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Turkey is to tackle it.

The Istanbul Conference will offer an opportunity to deepen the global partnership in support of least developed countries and set the terms of engagement for the next decade.  The United Nations and I, personally, are deeply committed to its success.  I am encouraging all world leaders to put their political weight behind this event.

That is where you come in.

Your stature and experience leave you well placed to advocate for a conference that will usher in a new generation of international measures for the least developed countries in key areas such as aid, trade, foreign direct investment, remittances, transfer of technology, debt relief and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

By raising public awareness and building strong political commitment, especially at a challenging time for global solidarity, you can help reinvigorate the compact in support of the development and transformation of the least developed countries over the next decade. 

In the months ahead, we will rely heavily on you.  The agenda is packed and expectations are high.

I look forward to your report next year and to working with you over the coming months to help the least developed countries realize their aspirations.

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For information media • not an official record