Niger on behalf of LLDCs
Statement by H.E. Mr. Boubacar Boureima, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Niger Permanent Mission to the United Nations On behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries during the Stocktaking Session for the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda,
on the item: “Means of Implementation”
New York, 21 January 2015
Co -facilitators,
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I wish to thank you for giving me the floor to speak on this important subject on Means of Implementation for the Post 2015 development agenda. It is my honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the 32 Land Locked Developing Countries.
From the outset let me state that Means of implementation are what will make or break the Post 2015 development agenda. This should go beyond financing, and should corporate the other necessary elements of capacity building, technology transfer and trade. The Means of Implementations resonates with the key priorities of the Vienna Programme of Action (APoA) which also calls for strengthened and enhanced financial resources at the domestic and global level, as well as exploring other innovative sources to support development.
The LLDCs group calls for the additional commitments to be made to enhance and realize the international set of development goals. The LLDCs recognize that the Vienna Programme of Action effective implementation will require substantial amount of resources to invest in the six identified priority areas. Therefore, forging international, regional, subregional and bilateral cooperation, as well as strengthening the role of the private sector, will be of paramount importance.
While the international development financing landscape is changing, Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows still remain the main source of external financing for many LLDCs. Many LLDCs, in particular those that are LDCs, rely heavily on concessional resources. ODA plays a critical role in meeting the development challenges faced by most of the landlocked developing countries. It is an important source of external finance and foreign exchange for many LLDCs unable to access financial resources on international capital markets.
The international community should accelerate the progress in the implementation of internationally agreed development goals and increase ODA to the LLDCs. Effective development cooperation, including ODA and Aid for Trade, should play a catalytic role in helping LLDCs to mobilize their own resources for development.
Funds of the multilateral development banks should be urgently replenished and contributions, particularly non-earmarked contributions to the UN agencies, funds and programmes should be increased, which will advance their outlays to support country level efforts. The special priorities of LLDCs should be better reflected in the policies of these institutions.
With ongoing fiscal austerity measures in many donor countries, quality of aid is as important as its quantity. Development partners need to enhance the effectiveness of aid, in line with the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action, as well as the Busan Partnership for Development Cooperation. This includes strengthening national ownership, alignment of ODA with national plans and priorities, harmonization of aid, increasing predictability and transparency, mutual accountability, ensuring results-orientation and striving for inclusive development partnership.
We urge Development Partners, including institutional investors such as multilateral development banks, and private sector, to explore innovative financing mechanisms.
With regard to Aid for Trade, i.e. aid directed towards economic infrastructure and trade-related productive capacity building and technical assistance, it plays a key role in assisting LLDCs’ capacity-building on the formulation of trade policies; participation in trade negotiations and implementation of trade facilitation measures; the development of trade-related infrastructure; and the diversification of export products and strengthening of productive capacities with a view to increasing competitiveness of their products in export markets. Aid for trade, in combination with complementary policies, is helping to lower trade costs, in the form of additional infrastructure, better border institutions and regulatory procedures and enhanced capacities. Aid for Trade also has the potential to ease the binding constraints that prevent landlocked developing countries from linking to or moving up value chains. Ultimately, Aid for Trade is essential for countries to make effective use of multilateral trading system.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) represents a major proportion of private capital flows and is considered to be the most stable form of foreign capital. FDI has great potential to spur economic growth and development in LLDCs through employment creation and improved management techniques, transfer and spillovers of technology, knowledge and business processes, and non-debt creating transfers of capital. FDI can also play a key role in providing infrastructure and building domestic productive capacities. It has been a major challenge for LLDCs to take the necessary steps to implement strategic policies with a view to improve the domestic business and investment climate by addressing the constraints and bottlenecks that stifle private sector development. Many LLDCs have been actively implementing policies to attract larger FDI inflows by providing investment guarantees and fiscal incentives, allowing profit repatriation and simplifying administrative procedures. However, the past few years also saw a continuation of regulatory policies on FDI, in particular with regards to adjustment of entry policies on inward FDI, and more regulatory policies in extractive industries.
I wish to call for renewed and strengthened partnership for development that is very essential and that it should be clearly reflected in the post 2015 development Agenda. The LLDCs partnership with the transit countries and development partners is indispensable for making meaningful development. Strengthened partnerships in the context of South South Cooperation, triangular cooperation, partnership with international and regional organizations, as well as between public and private sector actors are also key. The partnership should also highlight the importance of the private sector and the role it plays in generating manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and innovations that are indispensable to economic transformations and diversification.
As part of the global south, landlocked developing countries will continue interconnecting with other developing countries and take cooperative measures to overcome their obstacles and meet their developmental objectives. The partnership between LLDCs and other countries of the global south has been progressive and encompasses many areas, ranging from trade and foreign resource transfers including ODA, FDI, and technology and as well as capacity development. Further LLDC development is expected with their growing participation in South-South and triangular cooperation. In this connection, I also wish to stress the importance of science and technology enhancement as well as ICT for LLDCs development capacity needs.
The LLDCs group therefore, calls for strengthened bilateral and multilateral cooperation to be integrated effectively in the Post 2015 Development Agenda. LLDCs will be able to, as well as attract foreign and domestic direct investment for the effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action if the Means of Implementation are improved and the existing commitments honoured by all partners.
I thank you.
on the item: “Means of Implementation”
New York, 21 January 2015
Co -facilitators,
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I wish to thank you for giving me the floor to speak on this important subject on Means of Implementation for the Post 2015 development agenda. It is my honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the 32 Land Locked Developing Countries.
From the outset let me state that Means of implementation are what will make or break the Post 2015 development agenda. This should go beyond financing, and should corporate the other necessary elements of capacity building, technology transfer and trade. The Means of Implementations resonates with the key priorities of the Vienna Programme of Action (APoA) which also calls for strengthened and enhanced financial resources at the domestic and global level, as well as exploring other innovative sources to support development.
The LLDCs group calls for the additional commitments to be made to enhance and realize the international set of development goals. The LLDCs recognize that the Vienna Programme of Action effective implementation will require substantial amount of resources to invest in the six identified priority areas. Therefore, forging international, regional, subregional and bilateral cooperation, as well as strengthening the role of the private sector, will be of paramount importance.
While the international development financing landscape is changing, Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows still remain the main source of external financing for many LLDCs. Many LLDCs, in particular those that are LDCs, rely heavily on concessional resources. ODA plays a critical role in meeting the development challenges faced by most of the landlocked developing countries. It is an important source of external finance and foreign exchange for many LLDCs unable to access financial resources on international capital markets.
The international community should accelerate the progress in the implementation of internationally agreed development goals and increase ODA to the LLDCs. Effective development cooperation, including ODA and Aid for Trade, should play a catalytic role in helping LLDCs to mobilize their own resources for development.
Funds of the multilateral development banks should be urgently replenished and contributions, particularly non-earmarked contributions to the UN agencies, funds and programmes should be increased, which will advance their outlays to support country level efforts. The special priorities of LLDCs should be better reflected in the policies of these institutions.
With ongoing fiscal austerity measures in many donor countries, quality of aid is as important as its quantity. Development partners need to enhance the effectiveness of aid, in line with the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action, as well as the Busan Partnership for Development Cooperation. This includes strengthening national ownership, alignment of ODA with national plans and priorities, harmonization of aid, increasing predictability and transparency, mutual accountability, ensuring results-orientation and striving for inclusive development partnership.
We urge Development Partners, including institutional investors such as multilateral development banks, and private sector, to explore innovative financing mechanisms.
With regard to Aid for Trade, i.e. aid directed towards economic infrastructure and trade-related productive capacity building and technical assistance, it plays a key role in assisting LLDCs’ capacity-building on the formulation of trade policies; participation in trade negotiations and implementation of trade facilitation measures; the development of trade-related infrastructure; and the diversification of export products and strengthening of productive capacities with a view to increasing competitiveness of their products in export markets. Aid for trade, in combination with complementary policies, is helping to lower trade costs, in the form of additional infrastructure, better border institutions and regulatory procedures and enhanced capacities. Aid for Trade also has the potential to ease the binding constraints that prevent landlocked developing countries from linking to or moving up value chains. Ultimately, Aid for Trade is essential for countries to make effective use of multilateral trading system.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) represents a major proportion of private capital flows and is considered to be the most stable form of foreign capital. FDI has great potential to spur economic growth and development in LLDCs through employment creation and improved management techniques, transfer and spillovers of technology, knowledge and business processes, and non-debt creating transfers of capital. FDI can also play a key role in providing infrastructure and building domestic productive capacities. It has been a major challenge for LLDCs to take the necessary steps to implement strategic policies with a view to improve the domestic business and investment climate by addressing the constraints and bottlenecks that stifle private sector development. Many LLDCs have been actively implementing policies to attract larger FDI inflows by providing investment guarantees and fiscal incentives, allowing profit repatriation and simplifying administrative procedures. However, the past few years also saw a continuation of regulatory policies on FDI, in particular with regards to adjustment of entry policies on inward FDI, and more regulatory policies in extractive industries.
I wish to call for renewed and strengthened partnership for development that is very essential and that it should be clearly reflected in the post 2015 development Agenda. The LLDCs partnership with the transit countries and development partners is indispensable for making meaningful development. Strengthened partnerships in the context of South South Cooperation, triangular cooperation, partnership with international and regional organizations, as well as between public and private sector actors are also key. The partnership should also highlight the importance of the private sector and the role it plays in generating manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and innovations that are indispensable to economic transformations and diversification.
As part of the global south, landlocked developing countries will continue interconnecting with other developing countries and take cooperative measures to overcome their obstacles and meet their developmental objectives. The partnership between LLDCs and other countries of the global south has been progressive and encompasses many areas, ranging from trade and foreign resource transfers including ODA, FDI, and technology and as well as capacity development. Further LLDC development is expected with their growing participation in South-South and triangular cooperation. In this connection, I also wish to stress the importance of science and technology enhancement as well as ICT for LLDCs development capacity needs.
The LLDCs group therefore, calls for strengthened bilateral and multilateral cooperation to be integrated effectively in the Post 2015 Development Agenda. LLDCs will be able to, as well as attract foreign and domestic direct investment for the effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action if the Means of Implementation are improved and the existing commitments honoured by all partners.
I thank you.
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