Rural development among key precedence for LDC, says UN
08 Jun '06
3 min read
The UN envoy drew attention to the need for further capacity development in the LDCs, with particular focus on women and young people. “There should be greater local ownership of the Programme of Action. The LDCs must be fully committed to placing the Brussels Programme at the heart of their national development plans and poverty reduction strategies,” he said.
He added that there should be increased focus on improving governance at the local level where the actual implementation of development projects and programmes take place.
Mr. Chowdhury also urged the international community to “stay the course on promised aid, debt relief, tariff-free access for LDC exports and access to technology.” He pointed out that the external debt overhang in most LDCs was unsustainable and reiterated his call for its total cancellation.
Many least developed countries have also been unable to benefit fully from the duty-and quota-free market access offered by industrialized countries, mainly because of the lack of capacity to produce exportable products of sufficient quantity or quality.
Mr. Chowdhury concluded by pointing out the increase over the past five years of overseas development aid (ODA) to LDCs but warned that much more needs to be done to improve the quality of aid to make the increase more meaningful for the LDCs.
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