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Draft statement to be delivered at the General Debate of the
High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and
the High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC by H.E. AH M
Mustafa Kamal, Hon'ble Minister of Planning of
Bangladesh on behalf of the least developed countries
UNHQs, 18 July 2017
President of ECOSOC
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the
4 7 least developed countries. We align with the state1nent
1nade by Ecuador on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
2. The then1e of this year's HLPF, "Eradicating Poverty and
ensuring prosperity in the changing world", is a very
timely one. LDCs are lagging behind in poverty eradication
with more than 45% of their population still living in
extreme poverty. The business as usual approach with current
growth projections would leave nearly 35 per cent
of the population in LDCs in extre1ne poverty by 2030.
3. Our Govern1nents are 1naking utmost efforts to eradicate
poverty. At the national level, the LDCs are bringing in
necessary legislative, administrative and structural refonns
to implement the Agenda. We have emphasized on
financial inclusion of all, wo1nen empowerment, quality
· education, capacity building on data, respect for hun1an
,
rights, creating an enabling environment for private sector
and so on.
4. Nevertheless, huge financing gaps continue to obstruct
their efforts to implement the SDGs. We, therefore, call for
significant mobilization of resources including through
enhanced international cooperation, which is essential and
·must be ensured, for the ·LDCs and the graduating
countries. Our development partners will have to provide
us with adequate, 'Sustainable and timely support, including
through finance, technology transfer and capacity building
tailored to our needs and priorities.
5. LDCs are facing the major brunt of climate change
although they have contributed the least towards the global
warming. The implementation of the Paris Agreement and
the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is
inextricably linked with the success of the 2030 Agenda.
·We reiterate that the LDCs need continued international
cooperation to support climate actions.
6. We are deeply concerned that when LDCs need increased
global support, ODA, FDI and exports, which are
_important means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda,
declined considerably in 2016.
7. We want the full implementation of the Addis Ababa
Action Agenda which very strongly articulates the means
of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for the LDCs. Our
· development partners must undertake concrete actions to
reverse the declining trend in ODA, FDI and exports and to
fulfil the commitment of 0.15-0.20 per cent of the GNI of
the OECD countries to LDCs. We urge the international
financial institutions to provide development assistance on
. special consideration to the LDCs.
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8. Technology and investment are key drivers of structural
transformation in LDCs. Concrete efforts must be made for
the operationalization of the Technology Bank and the
investment promotion regimes for LDCs.
9. The LDCs, as the most vulnerable countries, must continue
to receive prioritized support from the United Nations to
·realize the IPOA and the 2030 Agenda. This should be the
cornerstone and guiding principle of the United Nations
reform exercise.
10. Nearly two years have elapsed since the adoption of the
·2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We see hardly
any progress in the implementation of the LDC-specific
commitments articulated in several SDG targets. The High
Level Political Forum should address the concerns of the
LDCs ifwe want SDGs to transform the world.
Thank you all.
