Statement by Ms. Rabab Fatima at the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed Countries

His Excellency Mr. Mulambo Haimbe, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Zambia, and Vice-Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of LDCs, and Chair of today’s Ministerial Meeting.

Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly.

Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.

His Excellency Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of ECOSOC and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations.

Her Excellency Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Minister of State for International Cooperation of Qatar and the host of the LDC5.

Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues.

I have the honour to report to you on the progress made in the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action. 
 
At the outset, I thank Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa and his delegation for their outstanding leadership of the LDC Group, ensuring that the priorities of LDCs remain high on the UN agenda.

Excellencies,

We meet at a moment of profound global challenges: rising inequality, geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties, widening digital divides, and escalating climate and biodiversity crises.  

The LDCs continue to bear the heaviest burden.

Nearly one-third of their populations live below the poverty line.

They account for just 1.1 per cent of global exports, far from the DPOA target of doubling this share by 2031.

Only 36 percent of their people have access to the internet.

ODA fell by 7.1 per cent in 2024. 
 
Seven LDCs are already in debt distress, with 15 more at high risk.

Debt servicing costs rose nearly 50 percent between 2022 and 2023. 

And yet, there are signs of hope.

GDP growth rebounded to 4.1 percent in 2024, boosted by tourism recovery, though still below the 7 percent target.

Women’s representation in parliaments rose to 26.8 percent, close to the global average of 27.2 percent. 

Graduation momentum is accelerating.  The graduation of Sao Tome and Principe in 2024 brings the total of graduated countries to eight, with fourteen more in the pipeline, including Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Nepal preparing for graduation in 2026. 

These achievements show what is possible with sound policies, resilience, and international support.
 
Excellencies,

Against this backdrop, the theme of today’s Ministerial “Building momentum for accelerated implementation of the Doha Programme of Action in an era of multiple crises: Road to the 2027 Doha Mid-term Review” is very timely.

My Office is supporting Member States with practical tools, including the roadmap for accelerated implementation; and the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, to measure real-time progress and inform both national planning and global advocacy.

Continued and tangible progress is being made in advancing DPOA’s transformative deliverables.  

Allow me to share with you some updates: 

First: on the Food Stockholding Mechanism for LDCs, a feasibility study is underway in collaboration with the WFP, FAO and other key partners. 

With 57% of LDC populations facing food insecurity and import prices nearly 39% above pre-pandemic levels, building resilience against food crisis and price volatility is urgent. 

This study will be presented at the current 80th session of the UNGA.  And I am pleased to report that the Government of Qatar will provide USD 10 million as seed fund to advance this deliverable. 

Another important deliverable, the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, we have produced a comprehensive report jointly with UNDRR and WMO. 

The report revealed that less than half of LDCs have such systems in place, despite being 2.5 times more vulnerable to disasters than the global average.

With the generous support of Qatar, who have committed USD11 million as seed money, we will be working closely with relevant partners to address this gap.  

Excellencies,

We have also made good progress on advancing another important deliverable from DPOA – an Online University for LDCs.  A high-level expert group’s meeting was held in New York in June, with leading experts, who have come up with important recommendations.   

The Secretary-General’s report on this deliverable, which draws upon the recommendations, concludes that this initiative is a necessity and welcomes its implementation as a matter of urgency. 

With only 11 percent of young people in LDCs having access to tertiary education - compared to 43 percent globally - the Online University will help strengthen science, technology, and innovation skills through STEM education, critical for harnessing the potential of LDC youth in this current era of STI revolution.

Another flagship deliverable is the iGRAD Facility, launched in Doha in 2023, to ensure sustainable and irreversible graduation.
 

With 14 countries now at different stages of graduation, it is providing demand-driven support to manage transitions - from tailored policy and technical advice to access to transition finance and capacity-building. 

We are grateful to Qatar for its commitment and support in making iGRAD a reality. We plan to make iGRAD fully operational by the mid-term review as a demonstration of our collective resolve to leave no country behind.

The sixth deliverable, the International Investment Support Centre (IISC), which envisages a one-stop shop for investment promotion in LDCs, seeks to address the chronic investment gap, with LDCs receiving less than 2 per cent of global FDI flow despite being home to 1.2 billion people.

The FFD4 outcome document endorsed strongly this important deliverable, and we plan to have pilot projects to assess its feasibility. 

 
Earlier this week, my Office signed an agreement with the Qatar Fund for Development for USD 21 million to advance the food stockholding and resilience-building deliverables. Yet, given the magnitude of the challenges, far greater support is needed. I urge all development partners to step forward to ensure full operationalization of these commitments. I wish to once again commend the State of Qatar for its unwavering leadership and steadfast commitment to the DPOA - an engagement that can make a tangible difference across the LDCs.

Excellencies,

The DPOA has recognized the integral link between peace and sustainable development.  To ensure that the peace and developments actors work hand in hand on the ground, my Office is leading the development of operational guidelines mandated by the DPOA to strengthen UN system-wide engagement in LDCs affected by conflict or in post-conflict situations. 

With half of the LDCs affected by conflict and hosting over half of the world’s internally displaced people, these guidelines will provide a coherent, system-wide UN response - mapping existing support, identifying gaps, and strengthening coordination. 

They will help countries break cycles of conflict and post-conflict vulnerabilities, build resilience, and stay firmly on track toward sustainable and irreversible graduation.

Excellencies,

Recent global processes have demonstrated our collective resolve to further strengthen global partnership.

The Sevilla Commitment from FFD4 charted a roadmap on financing for development with as many as 39 paragraphs addressing the special needs of LDCs. 

The Awaza Declaration and Programme of Action for LLDCs and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS align closely with LDC priorities.

[And] Over the past three years, the LDC Future Forum, supported by the Government of Finland, has evolved as a platform that links cutting-edge research to policy to practical partnerships for LDCs. This year, for the first time, it was hosted in an LDC capital, Lusaka, which generated new and innovative ideas and partnership on a range of LDC priorities.  The next Forum is planned for May 2026 in Helsinki. 

Looking ahead, the World Summit on Social Development in Doha and COP30 in Belém will be critical moments to secure stronger global commitments on the multidimensional nature of sustainable development, climate finance, and loss and damage.

Excellencies,

The Midterm Review of the Doha Programme of Action in 2027 will be critical.  

Preparations for the national reviews are already underway. Guidelines have been circulated, and Resident Coordinators in LDCs have been requested to provide support to ensure robust and inclusive processes.

These national reviews will feed into two regional meetings, one for Africa and Haiti, and another for Asia-Pacific and Yemen. 

In parallel, UN agencies and partners will carry out thematic reviews. 

Together, these efforts will inform the global review and serve as the foundation for the outcome of the Midterm Review.

The Second Committee this year is expected to define the detailed modalities of the Midterm Review.
Excellencies,

As we pursue these priorities, stronger leadership and inclusive participation will be vital. 

I therefore call on the President of the General Assembly to re-establish the Board of Advisors on LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS - an essential platform to provide strategic guidance, foster coherence across the three Programmes of Action for these three groups, and amplify the voices of the most vulnerable during this transformative 80th  session.

Excellencies,

My Office, UN-OHRLLS, supports 92 of the world’s most vulnerable countries, home to nearly 1.5 billion people. 

With your continued support, we have consistently coordinated UN system-wide action on the Programmes of Action, integrated the 2030 Agenda with LDC, LLDC and SIDS priorities, advanced research and policy guidance, and mobilized resources for the implementation of the POAs. 

To match its expanding mandate and the needs of vulnerable nations, OHRLLS must be strengthened and adequately resourced, in line with the vision of the UN80 Initiative.

Supporting the 44 LDCs is a shared responsibility.

If we fail them, we fail the promise of the SDGs. 

We must therefore scale up financing, deliver on climate promises, empower digital transformation, and unlock the full potential of LDCs’ youth and women.

Let us act together, and decisively - so that the DPOA is remembered not as just another plan, but as a turning point for the world’s most vulnerable.

I thank you.