Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
SIXTY EIGHT SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
*******
ELEVENTH MEETING OF THE OWG ON SDGs
(Means of Implementation/Global Partnership for sustainable development
Peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law and capable institutions)
STATEMENT
BY
H.E.MR. JEAN -FRANCIS R. ZINSOU
AMBASSADOR PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BENIN
TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
CHAIR OF THE GLOBAL COORDINATION BUREAU OF LDCs
NEW YORK, 8 MAY 2014
Distinguished Co-Chairs
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of LDCs. This statement supplements the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the G77 and China.
The Group attaches significant importance to the focus area 15 “on the means of implementation” which will be the lifeblood of the SDGs. We would like to reformulate the focus area subtitle as follows:”Strengthen global partnership for sustainable development to ensure the right to development”.
The Group commends the distinguished Co-Chairs for elaborating the focus area on the means of implementation and incorporating some of the proposals of LDCs. However, the group noted with concern the proposed targets are kept general and open-ended, which is contrary to the provisions of time bound numerical targets under other focus areas. The Group of LDCs would like to see specific time bound numerical targets under each category of the means of implementation.
For setting specific target on the means of implementation, we must not forget that the Monterrey package was primarily targeted to achieving the MDGs. The agenda that we are considering now for SDGs are much wider and broader, capturing all three dimensions of sustainable development in a comprehensive and balanced manner. Therefore, in the spirit of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the financing provisions should be much wider and broader than Monterrey and Doha for the legitimacy and effectiveness of the SDGs.
Under trade, the Group supports target (a) but needs to incorporate “non-agriculture and services” along with agriculture and “the need to eliminate harmful subsidies”. The Group would propose to reformulate the provisions under (b) as follows:
“Further enhance market access for all LDC products with full realization of duty-free quota-free commitments on a lasting basis for all LDCs, with simplified rules of origin and dismantling all non-tariff and para-tariff barriers”.
At the end of 15 (c) we would propose to add the following phrase:
“and increase further the LDCs exports by three times by 2030”
Additionally, the Group would like to make the following proposal:
a) “Increase trade-related capacity-building assistance, for improving their competitiveness, particularly of SMEs, and their participation in regional and global value chains”;
b) Provide least 50 per cent of the total Aid for Trade disbursement to LDCs, and significantly enhance resource allocation for the ‘Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) for trade related technical assistance to LDCs”.
Under technology, the Group supports the issues covered in the working document, especially on fully operationalizing the Technology Bank and STI Capacity Building Mechanism for LDCs. However, all these issues need to be capped with time-bound and numerical targets, as appropriate.
On financing and debt sustainability, the Group would call for separating the issues and bringing ODA upfront as many of our countries are highly dependent on it.
On sub-item (i) under financing, the Group proposes to make a reference to 0.15-0.20 per cent of GNI to LDCs and to fulfill this target forthwith. As we have illustrated earlier, given the wider issues captured under SDGs, the ODA commitment needs to significantly scaled up for LDCs.
The Group proposes to add the following target:
“Donor countries should review their ODA commitments in 2015 and commit to allocate at least 50% of ODA to LDCs”.
On, external debt, the title should be replaced with “debt relief” and the Group proposes the following:
“Address the debt problem of LDCs on a sustainable basis, including through the cancellation of the multilateral and bilateral debt owed by least developed countries to creditors, both public and private”.
On FDI, the proposal is as follows:
“Adopt, expand and implement dedicated investment promotion regimes for LDCs”. Please note that this has already been agreed in the IPoA and the UNGA resolution 68/224.
On innovative finance, the proposal is as follows:
“Explore new, additional, long-term innovative sources of finance and strengthen and scale up existing ones; and earmark at least 50 per cent of such financing for LDCs”.
On migration, the group proposes as follows:
(a) Reduce all costs within migration process, including the transaction cost within global remittance flows; and foster the developmental impacts of migration; and
(b) Ensure enabling environment to make migration beneficial for all countries and thus resist the imposition of restrictive measures on labor migration in order to maximize the benefits of international migration; and also deepen short-term, circular migration, particularly for migrant workers from LDCs.
On South-South and Triangular Cooperation, the proposal is as follows:
Advanced developing countries would provide enhanced, quantifiable, need-specific support to the LDCs in various areas under a transformative framework.
The issues captured under “focus area 15 (v)” on monitoring and reporting, warrant detailed discussions. The Group of LDCs would have specific proposals on the monitoring and accountability framework for SDGs, which we look forward to discuss at a suitable time.
Focus area 16 on peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law and capable institutions seem to be biased towards national context without any reference to global governance.
In the IPoA, LDCs are called upon to continue their efforts to establish or strengthen an effective, fair and stable institutional, legal and regulatory framework in order to strengthen the rule of law and good governance. In the same spirit, development partners have undertaken the responsibility to support the efforts of LDCs to strengthen institutional capacity and regulatory frameworks for preventing corruption, bribery and money laundering, the illegal transfer of funds and other illicit activities by both public and private entities.
To this purpose, we would need to promote global cooperation to address illicit capital flows and eliminate safe heavens, in accordance with commitments taken in the Istanbul Programme of Action.
The development partners pledged to
a) provide appropriate assistance at the request of the recipient least developed country, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to help prevention and resolution, through peaceful means, including mediation, of conflict, and support confidence-building, post-conflict peacebuilding, reintegration, reconstruction and rehabilitation;
b) Strengthen support for least developed countries affected by conflict to address country-specific needs and situations, including broad-based, inclusive and rapid socio-economic development with a special focus on rebuilding national institutions and capacity, rebuilding critical infrastructure and generating productive employment and decent work for all;
The development partners have also pledged to provide LDC Governments with timely information in a transparent manner on annual commitments and disbursements of their development assistance. They are also committed to provide continued support for strengthened and effective voice and participation of LDCs in the international decision-and rule-making and standard-and norm setting processes in all areas affecting their development. These commitments need to be reflected in the next iteration.
I thank you all for your kind attention.
Stakeholders