Global Recovery Depends on Least Developed Nations Getting Support They Need, Secretary-General Tells Annual Ministerial Meeting

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the annual ministerial meeting of the least-developed countries, in New York today:

Your meeting arrives at a moment of global peril.  And least developed countries are bearing the brunt.  From conflicts and climate catastrophe.  To the immense pain inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  To unchecked poverty and widening inequalities.  To the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine, including on food and energy prices.  To a global financial system that is stacked against [least developed countries].

The Doha Programme of Action reminds us that global recovery depends on these countries getting the support they need.  They need bold investments in health, education and social protection systems — all the resources required to fully implement the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

They need a reformed financial architecture that delivers financing and debt relief so they can make those investments and defeat the obscene inequalities that weigh down progress for all.  They need job-creation — especially in the digital, care and green economies.

They need true gender equality for girls and women across every walk of life.  And they need support to end reliance on fossil fuels, jump-start the renewable energy transition and adapt to the changes around them.

Your meeting is a critical opportunity to put the needs of least developed countries first in our plans.  First in our investments.  And first in our actions.  Sustainable development cannot wait.  I look forward to measuring our progress in Doha next March and delivering real action and real results for least developed countries in the years ahead.