Under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2019) convened today to examine progress and the greatest challenges in empowering individuals and ensuring inclusiveness across the world, especially equality in the least developed countries (LDCs) and the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs).

(Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2019)

Hon. Fiame Naomi Mataafa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment of Samoa, provided an overview of LDCs’ and LLDCs’ performance in achieving the Agenda 2030, expressing concern over how a large portion of these countries are significantly lacking behind in eradicating poverty. Mixed progress was found among the 32 LLDCs, with many on the verge of backsliding yet again into penury, political turmoil and social instability. Discrimination against females remains dire in most LDCs and LLDCs, benefits of growth fail to reach all population groups, whereas state capacities have not been notably advanced. The panel stressed the importance of building up resilience at regional and national levels, through reforms in parliaments and collaborative actions implemented by international organizations. Roles of innovative research and development, adequate financing, appropriate taxation, universal education, sound judicial system and holistic public health scheme were especially pinpointed as imperative, while interconnectedness among the 17 SDGs was repeatedly underlined to remind Member States and all stakeholders the urgency of deploying an interdisciplinary paradigm when defining policies and ensuring a smooth transformation during LDC graduation.

Progress made by the Vienna Programme of Action was discussed, where stakeholders welcomed its feature of analyzing opportunities and solving challenges through a human-centric approach. The panel vowed to continue creating effective innovations for future development and showed optimism for achieving justice for all.

Meeting: HLPF 2019: Perspectives of Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries

Date/Location: Wednesday, July 10, 2019; 11:00-13:00; Conference Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers:

H.E. Ms. Mona Juul, Vice President of ECOSOC;

Mr. Jerry Tardieu, Congressman, Petion-Ville, Haiti;

Mr. Saad Alfarargi, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development;

Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, UN High Representative for the Least Developed

Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States;

Mr. Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, Oxfam (Executive Director of Oxfam Mexico);

H.E. Ms. Doma Tshering, Permanent Representative of Bhutan to the UN, and co-facilitator of political declaration of the midterm review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) for LLDCs;

Mr. Richard Ssewakiryanga, Co-Chair for the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness, and immediate past Presiding Officer of the African Union – Economic and Social Cultural Council (MGoS);

Interventions by Member States

Written By: WIT Representative Winky Lee