President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi called on the development partners to fulfill the pledges made to assist least developed countries (LDCs), by providing the necessary support to overcome structural challenges.
Addressing the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Korosi said that countries need to feel the responsibility towards the "Doha Programme of Action" to ensure steering the results of the conference for the benefit of the LDCs, stressing that the Doha Programme invests in people, enhances their resilience and builds international solidarity.
He said that the ultimate goal of LDC5 is to work to transform the economies of the LDCs towards reaching development plans that are capable of facing the immediate challenges, pointing out that according to recent data, at least one in three LDC remains living in extreme poverty, which is exacerbated by the long-term effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, the debt crisis and disasters, which lead to an even greater exacerbation of the poverty crisis in the world.
President of the UN General Assembly enumerated the challenges facing the LDCs, saying that women and minorities in a large number of these countries still face big obstacles in the fields of education, employment and health care in addition to armed conflicts; such crises are exacerbated by the catastrophic effects of climate change, in addition to the fact that by the end of the current decade, water demand will exceed supply by 40 percent, which deepens the crisis.
Korosi called on the international community to do more by 2030, fulfill their pledges to implement development plans and transform the economies of the LDCs, and decide on additional international support measures that would advance progress in them, which would allow agreement on real renewed partnerships between the LDCs and development partners. He underlined the need for these partnerships to take into account the determination to overcome structural challenges, eradicate poverty and realise development goals.
42 years ago, the new programme of action was adopted by the international community in Paris, and the aim at that time was to bring about a radical change in the economic situation in the LDCs, Korosi said, stressing that after four decades and numerous missed opportunities those pledges must be reviewed.
Concluding his speech, President of the United Nations General Assembly stressed that humanity has no choice but to stand by the LDCs.
