LDCs

The United Nations and Member States begin the 2021 calendar confronted with the need to address the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and growing global inequalities. Despite the WHO’s efforts to make the COVID-19 vaccine “affordable and accessible for all” through the ACT Accelerator and calls by CSOs and UN leadership and world leaders for a People’s Vaccine (a global public good free from Intellectual Property Rights), the global vaccine distribution/rollout has been dominated by wealthy, developed countries, with little if any vaccines available for small and medium developing countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) this year experiencing their worst economic performance in 30 years, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.

In its Least Developed Countries Report 2020, released on 3 December, UNCTAD said that while the pandemic had (at least initially) a less-than-catastrophic health impact on the LDCs, its economic repercussions have been ruinous.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to LDC economies experiencing their strongest economic shock in several decades.

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have been hit hard by the decline in world trade triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the value of LDC merchandise exports falling by 16% during the first half of 2020, the World Trade Organization has said.

In a report to a meeting of the WTO Sub-Committee on LDCs last week (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/68), the WTO Secretariat said that data from 97 economies, which include most of LDCs' key trading partners, show that the value of LDC merchandise exports dropped by 21% during March-June 2020 year-on-year.

In preparation for the Summit on Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) which will take place in Turkey next year Social Watch is participating in a series of events at the regional level and international level.  Most recently Social Watch was invited to participate on May 19, 2010 in a Panel Event on Resource Mobilization for LDCs’ Sustainable Growth and Development at Columbia University.  

Statement by Dr. Arjun Karki at the ambassadorial-level meeting of the group of the Least Developed Countries *

New York, 25 February 2010
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Cheick Sidi Diarra, High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for inviting me to this meeting as the International Coordinator of LDC Watch. It is my regret that I could not be with you at the meeting in person today; however, I would like to share with you a few words, specifically on the preparatory process towards the LDC IV that is underway.

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