Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - LDC5

A Human-Centred Recovery and the Future of Work in LDCs

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Friday, 29 April 2022 - 10:00am

The social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt deeply, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

This is in large part due to their structural vulnerabilities, inadequate social protection systems, and limited fiscal capacity to foster a human-centred recovery. The uneven recovery from COVID-19 risks to further entrench these global inequalities.

At the same time, digitalisation is rapidly changing the nature of work around the world, including in LDCs. The adoption and adaptation of digital technologies can be a powerful component of productive transformation that can benefit almost all sectors of the economy and generate widespread productivity and employment growth.

The LDC population is young and access to education and skills development is on the rise, which means the potential for harnessing digital technologies remains high. Digital technologies can potentially deliver large benefits to LDCs provided that significant investments are made in capital and in people to ensure technologies help drive productive and inclusive growth and support decent work outcomes.

The Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 addresses many of these challenges and emphasizes the importance of promoting productive transformation and decent work opportunities in LDCs to achieve sustainable development.

This meeting, co-organised by OHRLLS, will launch a new ILO Report entitled, “Present and Future of Work in the LDCs” and discuss the ambition and implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs in order to promote a human-centred recovery.

The aim is to highlight good practices and opportunities to help countries prioritize policies in national development plans.

Specific topics will include:

the use of comprehensive employment and enterprise development policies
the role of just transition for a sustainable and inclusive economic transformation, fostering productivity growth and productive capacities
the expansion of social protection systems
the application of labour standards.

The discussion will also look at opportunities for international and regional cooperation including the engagement of the private sector to support job-rich growth and inclusive development in LDCs.

Read the report HERE.

tags:

LDCs

LDC5

Labour

Categories:

LDCs

LDC5

Labour

As a Global Crisis Continues, Africa’s Most Vulnerable Nations Set Development Priorities for an Equitable and Resilient Future

HSASS — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 17:08:40 +0000

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COVID-19 testing, Madagascar

World Bank / Henitsoa Rafalia

Press Release

As multiple crises swirl, from COVID-19 to climate change and debt, Africa’s 33 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are gathering to assess the state of their development goals and agree how best to get back on track.

Hosted by the Government of Malawi from 22 to 26 February, LDC ministers will meet virtually and discuss common priorities to feed into the landmark Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in early 2022, at which the next decade's development agenda for LDCs will be set.

“The least developed countries may be among the weakest and poorest of the global family, but we represent a vast reservoir of untapped potential.” said H.E. Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi. “Ahead of us, is a critical opportunity to reshape the development landscape to one that is equitable and leaves no one behind. As we pave the way towards the Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the Africa Regional Review meeting is the moment to voice our collective vision for the conference and agree our common priorities for a resilient and prosperous future.”

The meeting brings together LDCs from Africa and Haiti, development partner countries, international financial institutions, the UN and civil society for five days of meetings and thematic discussions. Topics under discussion will range from overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and tackling the climate crisis to strengthening trade and building more peaceful and inclusive societies which includes the full participation of women and youth.

Global turmoil wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic forms the backdrop to this meeting, which was originally intended to take place in person in March of 2020.

The pandemic has been particularly challenging for LDCs and their economies. Commodity prices have fallen dramatically and disruptions are widespread in manufacturing value chains. International tourism, a major lifeline, has come to a standstill. The result has been a sharp reduction in GDP growth, placing economies and livelihoods on the brink of ruin. Together with widening deficits, unsustainable debt, and a drop in Foreign Direct Investment and remittances, the impacts of COVID-19 have led to an increase in poverty and will jeopardize hard won development gains for years to come.

The UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu said: “We may be in the midst of a global health and economic crisis, but Africa’s LDCs have long been on the frontlines of the fight against poverty and other global crises. The international community needs to live up to its promise to support LDCs in achieving global goals and to make sure that the next development agenda for LDCs is truly transformational.

Before COVID-19, African LDCs and Haiti had been making progress in implementing the Istanbul Programme of Action from 2011, though from very low baselines and with large variations across the 34 countries. Both man-made and natural crises remain prevalent and risk derailing progress. High and recently increasing poverty rates, inequality, civil strife and political instability are widespread.

Without strong and purposeful governance that aspires towards structural transformation and sustainable development, economic and social outcomes in these LDCs will remain weak.

/Ends.

A virtual briefing for the media was held on 17 February 2021 by the Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, and the United Nations High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu.

Notes:

The Africa Regional Review meeting is co-organised by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and the Economic Commission for Africa. It is hosted by the Government of Malawi.
The outcome of the Africa Regional Review meeting will be a ministerial declaration negotiated by the African LDCs and Haiti. The outcome is expected to outline the expected components of a renewed partnership or sustainable development between the LDCs and their development partners and will be endorsed at the 53rd ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, which is scheduled for 17-23 March 2021. Furthermore, the meeting outcome will inform the Preparatory Committee Meetings for the LDC5 Conference to be held in New York on 24-28 May 2021 and 26-30 July2021
The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 23 to 27 January 2022. The conference will assess progress made towards the Istanbul Programme of Action by the LDCs and their development partners as well as mobilising additional international support for the LDCs. The conference is also expected to agree on a renewed partnership for development between the LDCs and their development partners and relevant stakeholders including the private sector and civil society.
The 33 Least Developed Countries in Africa are: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

For the purposes of this regional review, Haiti will be included in the meeting.

Front Page Article:

Africa Regional Review Meeting

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 18:21:00 +0000

Please visit:www.un.org/ldc5/africa-review

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Least Developed Countries

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Statement on the Ministerial Roundtable for National Energy Planning and Implementation for Fostering Energy Transition

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:20:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

19 January 2021
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join your important discussion.

As we all know it is the small island developing states, the least developed countries and the landlocked developing countries are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The irony is of course that they have least contributed to greenhouse gas concentrations.

And notwithstanding their many challenges, they are also at the forefront of climate action.

This was again demonstrated during the Secretary-General’s Summit on Climate Change .

The SIDS and the LDCs made commitments to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

UN-OHRLLS together with UNDP and UN Energy support the implementation of these initiatives.

Some of you have heard me say this before but I cannot stress enough how acceleration of the SDG 7 achievement in alignment with SDG 13 on climate change and the Paris Agreement is a top priority for my office.

UN-OHRLLS is committed to mobilize resources and build partnerships to give a helping hand to energy transition in the most vulnerable countries.

Allow me to share one example.

In 2019, together with the Government of Malawi and the Rocky Mountain Institute, OHRLLS launched a study which shows how through whole-system energy investment planning countries such as Malawi can achieve SDG through the use of abundant renewable resources.

The study identifies least-cost pathways for developing this infrastructure. It shows how US$3 billion of investment, from a range of sources, can make this possible.

We now work with the UN Office in Malawi to support the government to implement the recommendations of this study.

The effort was well received, and we are now looking to scale up this study to cover the LDC group as a whole.

Our aim is to develop broad policy recommendations and advocacy tools so that other countries can benefit from the experiences and approaches adopted in Malawi.

Quite importantly, all this will feed into the thematic preparations for the upcoming LDC5 Conference in Qatar, Doha in January 2022.

The Conference is a strategic opportunity to place sustainable energy as a thematic priority for a new 10-year programme for the LDCs.

I can already share with you that the private sector track of the LDC5 Conference will have dedicated sessions on Energy and Climate Change.

The goal is to generate new partnerships to support energy transition and climate action in the LDCs.

If we want to be successful, we must engage with all stakeholders in this important process.

You state that a global energy transition is underway.

Unfortunately, the most vulnerable countries to date rarely benefit from the ongoing large-scale investments. Progress remains largely concentrated in the more advanced developing and middle-income countries.

So, we really must do more because there is a tremendous growth potential in the energy sector in the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. Their endowments with natural resources such as solar, hydro, geothermal and wind are tremendous.

What is now required is a radical change of pace, massive investments in the energy sector and capacity building over the next few years.

Let me add that in the context of COVID recovery, there is great opportunity for governments to center recovery plans on energy transition. We all know how energy transition is a conduit for poverty alleviation, increasing resilience of healthcare systems including in fighting this and future pandemics and to build back better.

It is now that countries need strong support from the international community.

We must be there to improve access to finance, build capacity and assist developers in the preparation of bankable renewable energy projects.

Urgent action is also required to strengthen or develop enabling environments and institutional frameworks.

I think these are all actions that can help to further expand and deepen initiatives such as IRENA’s SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.

IRENA is indeed a key partner in enhancing support to the most vulnerable countries.

Building on our strong collaboration, IRENA and UN-OHRLLS signed a Memorandum of Understanding on areas of cooperation focusing on energy connectivity, supporting NDCs, just transition and harnessing energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs over the next few years.

For example, IRENA and OHRLLS partner to prepare a report to be launched this year on Scaling Up Renewables in LLDCs.

As I mentioned earlier, we reach out to stakeholders from the international community and the public and private sector to contribute to the LDC5 conference in January 2022 and to make concrete announcements on energy and climate change.

UN-OHRLLS together with our partners, are committed to make the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS an integral part of the global energy transition that is underway.

Front Page Article:

Statement on Asia-Pacific LDCs' Graduation, Trade and Pandemic

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 19:51:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

27 January 2021
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First, I would like to thank ESCAP for organizing this webinar meeting.

Graduation and the issues and challenges surrounding it have long been at the core of the work of the United Nations system and of the work we do at OHRLLS.

Graduation from the LDC category is more than a symbolic step in a country’s development journey.

The label, if I may say so, sends a strong signal about strength and stability in socio-economic progress, encourages investors, and encourages the business community.

In turn, that means greatly enhanced potential for trading, investment and commercial activities.

I stress that we talk potential because , let us be clear, the overall set of development challenges that a country faces as an LDC do not disappear overnight with graduation.

Take, for example, a shared threat cutting across all graduating LDCs. That is the threat of their extreme vulnerability to climate change and related hazards.

Let us also not forget that graduation means the end of access to LDC-specific international support measures. It also implies loss of flexibility in the implementation of various international agreements, including TRIPS.

Ever since the advent of the global COVID pandemic, we can see that graduation faces additional challenges given the intertwined health, economic and financial consequences of COVID-19.

The pandemic spreads at a rapid pace through weak and vulnerable health system. The new and emerging variants and mutations pose additional and not yet really known threats.

The protracted economic recession triggered by the pandemic will result in massive economic downturns and, let us not overlook this, societal disruptions all threatening hard won gains and stability.

The impact is likely to be the hardest on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), on the informal sector and the labour markets of graduating LDCs. Yet, this often is the engine room for growth in LDCs!

The pandemic’s impacts on exports of goods and services coupled with growing costs of imports are likely to result in growing trade deficits of LDCs exceeding those of the pre-COVID levels.

Export items graduating LDCs rely on- like RMGs, fuels and tourism services - will be hit hard.

The small island LDCs are projected to be hardest hit by the severe downturn in world tourism. Yet, tourism is their GDP driver !

What is already clear is that this puts into question the achievement of SDG target 17.11- which is “doubling the LDCs’ share of exports by 2020 compared to 2011”.

Add to this that remittances, another major source of income for some graduating countries, are also under stress. This will further worsen the current account balance of countries.

More than ever timely, adequate and appropriate external support must kick in if we do not want to lose the hard won gains countries achieved in the past on their trajectory to a sustainable and inclusive development for their peoples.

However, we are concerned that all categories of external flows of funding are either waning or at best stagnant.

In short, the multifaceted challenges graduated and graduating LDCs are confronted with , demand NOW and not tomorrow bold and decisive action.

What is at stake is to ensure that the encouraging development trends of graduating countries remain sustained and can reach a higher trajectory.

I believe there is a mix of measures we could consider taking.

First : policies and measures must be taken to recover from the massive impacts of COVID-19. Reinforcing the public health infrastructure ecosystem is needed more than ever. The Secretary-General has already appealed to make vaccination as a global public good.

Graduating countries and other LDCs need immediate access to appropriate and affordable vaccines and therapeutic medicines as well as equipment.

A virus does not know borders and we know that it is only if we globally can achieve immunity, and not just in some parts of the globe, can we overcome the dramatic challenges this pandemic poses to all.

Secondly: We need to work on and invest in comprehensive transition strategies, developed through consultative processes, to ensure what I call smooth transitions.

This requires ex-ante impact assessments and vulnerability analysis. Appropriate policies and measures can then be put in place for sectors that are highly sensitive to preference erosion.

Thirdly: Graduating countries need to engage with their key development partners to negotiate extension of select LDC-preferential treatments for a period of time consistent with development needs and priorities.

In this regard, OHRLLS leads an Inter-Agency Task Force on LDC Graduation. The aim is to strengthen and better coordinate UN system-wide support to graduating countries.

Fourth: trade is and will continue to remain a key driver of development for graduating and graduated countries.

The Group of LDCs have already placed their proposals for the extension of LDC-specific special and preferential treatments. This includes a provision for a transition period under TRIPS Article 66.1 for a certain number of years after graduation.

This proposal warrants a review and favorable consideration by the international community, especially in the current context of the impacts of COVID-19.

Fifth: COVID-19 once again exposes the digital divide in LDCs. It is with urgency that we must build the infrastructure for a digital economy and e-commerce but also distance learning, health services and so much more.

Sixth: the pandemic has taught us once more the deep lesson of the history of our shared humanity that there is no certainty or predictability about future shocks and hazards.

Yet, the pandemic has also brought home once more that the LDCs are highly exposed to shocks and hazards while suffering from poor resilience systems.

Investing in building sustainable and comprehensive resilience systems in LDCs is not a luxury but a must.

Finally, allow me to alert you to a shared opportunity we have to put this into action.

We have embarked on the preparation of the Fifth UN Conference on LDCs to be held in Doha, Qatar from 23-27 January 2022.

Graduation will be a key priority in the deliberations and negotiations of the outcome of the LDC5.

In preparation of the LDC5, OHRLLS, jointly with Bangladesh and ESCAP, is holding the Asia-Pacific Regional Review meeting in Dhaka tentatively from 22-26 April 2021. The primary focus is on how to make graduation sustainable.

The outcome of Dhaka meeting, which is a Ministerial Declaration, will be an important building block for the next Programme of Action for LDCs.

So, I invite you all to actively participate in this meeting and contribute to its outcome.

Thank you.

Front Page Article:

LDC5 Preparations Move up a Gear

HSASS — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 20:46:00 +0000

ldc5_news.png

The driver of this taxi-moto pauses on a country road in Athiémé, Benin

World Bank

The most ambitious agenda possible for the world’s most vulnerable states will be agreed at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar in January 2022.

Known as LDC5, the meeting will be a major landmark in the efforts of LDCs and their partners to overcome core challenges, including the COVID crisis.

Decisions made by world leaders at LDC5 will have the potential to transform the lives of no less than a billion of the world’s most vulnerable people.

High Stakes

With the COVID crisis still in full flame, climate change untamed and a new economic and debt crisis rolling around the world, the stakes for LDC5 could not be higher. And so with a year to go, the preparatory process is already well underway.

The groundwork for LDC5 began in 2019, with each LDC conducting reviews of their development gains. For more information on national preparations see here. In 2020, OHRLLS co-hosted a series of global conversations relevant to LDCs on topics such as the future of work and post-pandemic recovery planning.

This spring, two regional review meetings will take place in collaboration with the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The first meeting for African LDCs and Haiti is co-hosted by the Government of the Republic of Malawi and takes place from 22-26 February.

Africa Regional Review

With 33 of the 46 LDCs in Africa, the Africa Regional Review will analyse progress made over the last decade and identify the main issues preventing further sustainable development.

To tackle these issues, the meeting will also discuss how to strengthen support provided to the LDCs by the international community to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

The preparation process is based on a bottom-up approach that ensures the needs of LDCs are clarified and heard. Inputs and ideas will also be heard from other groups including the private sector, academia, youth, civil society and parliamentarians.

African Challenges

The Least Developed Countries of Africa face multiple challenges. Weak economies and low exports compound other challenges like conflict, climate change and COVID-19.

Both man-made and natural crises remain prevalent and risk derailing progress. High and recently increasing poverty rates, inequality, civil strife and political instability are widespread.

A high rate of urbanisation among African LDCs makes cities and urban centres increasingly vulnerable to the impact of disasters. Without strong and purposeful governance that aspires towards structural transformation and sustainable development, economic and social outcomes in these LDCs will remain weak.

This is why the stakes are so high for LDC5.

Front Page Article:

The Future of Work in Least Developed Countries

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

madagascar_ilo.jpg

During the COVID period, merchants use a protective mask to sell their goods in Madagascar.

E. Raboanaly/ILO

The COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging labour markets around the world. Global trends such as globalisation, demographic shifts, climate change and technology have already brought profound shifts to the world of work, and the pandemic has accelerated changes.

Some advanced economies have been able to respond rapidly to adjust, and even take advantage, of these shifts. For some, the pandemic has generated not only new challenges but new opportunities for job creation. These countries stand ready to benefit from the spread of remote working arrangements, increasing automation and changes in international manufacturing.

But, as with many issues, the Least Developed Countries have struggled most to overcome deep-rooted and pre-existing vulnerabilities, and risk being left even further behind. LDCs often have limited cash to respond to crises, less and poorer technology available to work with and degraded environments. Their growing youth populations must be also absorbed by already fragile labour markets.

As we enter the last ten years of the 2030 Agenda and begin preparations for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs (LDC5), where a new Programme of Action for LDCs will be agreed, OHRLLS and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) held a global event on November 19, 2020 to reflect on the actions required at national and international levels to overcome these vulnerabilities and achieve a promising future of work in the LDCs.

The event brought together governments, policymakers, researchers and others to hear about the impact of COVID-19 on labour markets in LDCs and propose policy frameworks to foster recovery and build future resilience. The ILO presented the alarming impact of the effect of COVID-19 on the labour market in LDCs and suggested policy options to consider as the world prepares for LDC5.

Laying out the situation on the ground, H.E Perks Ligoya, Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations and Chair of the LDC Group, said that, LDCs have suffered the collapse of exports and tourism resulting in “a perfect tsunami of unemployment”. To compound the problem, migrant workers from LDCs are also losing their jobs, resulting in a huge loss of remittances. The end result, he said, is an increase in debt burdens and “the greatest economic crisis in decades”.

Calling for investment in digital connectivity as a vital lifeline in connecting economies, Ambassador Ligoya also called for investment in “decent work” and for the IMF and other Multilateral Development Banks to meet historical commitments and cancel all debts.

The High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, called for the issue of employment to be reflected at the heart of the next programme of action for LDCs. “Generating decent jobs at a time where the future of work is shifting will be critical to the ability of the LDCs to achieve an inclusive and sustainable development in the decade to come,” she said.

Moussa Oumarou, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships at ILO, called for the international community to advance opportunities for decent work that “provides just remuneration, ensures basic rights at work, provides adequate social protection, and the capacity to negotiate and develop work-related policies through social dialogue.”

He said that the right mix of policies to create a conducive environment for people to work themselves out of poverty is the most decent and sustainable way to avoid the deep scars on jobs and incomes resulting from the pandemic.

Speaking on behalf of the Host Country of the LDC5 Conference, HE Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, said that she hoped the Conference "builds a vision to help the 880m people in LDCs on a path to sustainable development” and delivers a “promising a future of work”.

She added that Qatar looks forward to working closely with OHRLLS and the ILO to further strengthen cooperation in 2021 as the world prepares for LDC5.

Front Page Article:

Leaving no one behind and building back better from COVID-19: The Future of Work in LDCs

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 15:57:00 +0000

Thursday, 19 November 2020 - 9:00am to 11:00am

REGISTER

https://bit.ly/3ljepGd

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing labour market ravages in all regions, some of those trends are accelerating, thereby generating new challenges and opportunities for job creation. While advanced economies are responding promptly and stand ready to invest to take benefit from the spread of remote working arrangements, increasing automation and the reshuffling of global value chains, LDCs struggle to overcome deep rooted and pre-existing decent work deficits.

As we enter the last ten years of the 2030 Agenda and begin preparations for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs (LDC5), where the new Programme of Action for LDCs will be agreed, this event will reflect on the actions required at national and international levels to achieve a promising future of work in LDCs. The event will look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour markets in LDCs and explore the policy frameworks that can foster recovery and build future resilience.

SPEAKERS

H.E. Mr. Perks Master Clemency Ligoya, Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations

H.E. Ms. Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations

H.E. Ms. Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations

Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

Mr. Moussa Oumarou, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, ILO

Mr. Aurelio Parisotto, Head, Employment and Economic Analyses Unit, Employment Policy Department, ILO

Mr. Boštjan Skalar, CEO, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies

Ms. Chema Triki, Advisor, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Embedded at the Jobs Creation Commission in Ethiopia

Ms. Khamati Mugalla, Executive Secretary of East African Trade Union Confederation

Ms. Grace Suh, Vice President, Education and Skills, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility

KEY QUESTIONS

What are the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for labour markets in the LDCs, and what lessons can be learnt from the LDC policy responses to the crisis? How can those lessons be used to promote job recovery and future resilience?
As progress in automation, digitization, connected systems continue to advance, and economies are de-globalizing, how will this impact LDCs?
Recognizing the limited fiscal space in LDCs, what types of frameworks for employment creation and investment are required to boost job creation and productivity, while also ensuring adequate income security?
What forms of international support would be most helpful?

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this special event is to stimulate an open, in-depth and interactive discussion of best practices while highlighting both opportunities and challenges. The side event brings together governments, policy-makers, researchers and social partners to provide guidance and recommendations on key questions concerning the future of work in LDCs. It will provide the latest employment data in LDCs and present a snapshot of policy options to explore further as member States embark on the road to LDC5. It will provide an opportunity to take stock of progress made and share best practices or lessons learned to ensure a productive future of work where no LDC is left behind.

DOCUMENTS

Background Materials

Flyer
Concept Note [EN] [FR]
Video: The Future of Work in Least Developed Countries [EN]

Other

tags:

Least Developed Countries

COVID-19

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Fifth UN Conference on LDCs

Categories:

Tackling Vulnerability on the Road to LDC5

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:42:00 +0000

uganda_ilo_asin_nsubuga_ilo_rudmec.jpg

Buyers and sellers practice social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Ugandan marketplace.

Yasin Nsubuga ILO / RUDMEC

NEW YORK 27 October 2020 – COVID-19 is impacting the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in unprecedented, profound and disproportionate ways. This is why these countries, often unable to afford comprehensive response plans, need more international support.

So what does COVID-19 mean for the most vulnerable countries and the support they need from the international community?

That was the over-riding question at a two-part high-level forum organised by OHRLLS, the OECD Development Centre and FERDI on October 21 and 23.

At the meeting, representatives from governments, multilateral institutions and civil society urged the international community to rethink the economic vulnerability of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and of developing countries more generally.

Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, issued a stark warning to those present at the meeting and the international community at large: “The very credibility of the multilateral system is at stake.”

She explained: “LDCs are the most vulnerable with least access to resources. The LDCs’ structural vulnerabilities are visible to all of us and there is absolute urgency to build resilience and redouble efforts towards achieving the SDGs.”

Vulnerability is one of the main criteria for including in the LDC category in the first instance. It is measured by the economic and environmental vulnerability index (EVI), which captures a country’s structural vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks.

However, growing concerns on exposure to international shocks, and the compounding of several risks, make it necessary to rethink how we think of national and individual vulnerability and how we help the LDCs address it.

Prof. Patrick Guillamont, President of FERDI, highlighted that the vulnerability of LDCs is largely due to structural handicaps beyond their control. It is due to these vulnerabilities, he said, that LDCs have been especially severely affected by COVID-19 in all sectors of their economies. He stressed that reducing vulnerability is the key to managing all shocks, from economic to climate-related.

Speaking about the importance of “people-centric” approaches to tackling vulnerability, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, HE Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari told the meeting that “The local community has the knowledge, understands the challenges faced and knows which of them are the most pressing.”

Any global recovery will depend on how the weakest economies and health systems can cope with the pandemic. While developed countries have taken large-scale action to deliver broad stimulus packages and protective measures, many of the most vulnerable countries do not have the means, or are too deep in debt, to do the same.

HE Abila Musleh, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Women Affairs in Afghanistan talked about the financial challenges that her country has faced since the pandemic broke out.

“Beyond the very serious human cost and economic downturn, COVID has created a large fiscal hole,” she said, adding that while “donors have responded with some $1.5bn in quick response aid, but only a small portion represents new money.”

HE Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), said that the international community must “reinvigorate and reform international co-operation" to better respond to the emerging challenges.

Calling a more robust approach to the measurement and assessment of vulnerability in development responses, he called for the international community to focus on placing multidimensional vulnerabilities, resilience and the provision of global public goods at the core of the system.”

Front Page Article:

Statement at the Towards UN LDC5 - Recovery from COVID-19 Tackling Vulnerabilities and Leveraging Scarce Resources Event

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 05:21:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

21 & 23 October 2020
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I join H.E. Ambassador Escudero, Permanent Representative of Spain to the OECD and Chair of the Governing Board of the Development Centre, in warmly welcoming you all to this virtual event.

More than nine months have passed since the world over COVID took too many lives, disrupted countless lives, decimated and continues to shake livelihoods.

More than ever, and in solidarity, we must focus on Recovery from COVID-19, we must find ways to tackle vulnerabilities and leverage scarce resources.

And this is precisely the theme of our meeting.

This virtual event is also held in the context of preparations for the Fifth UN Conference on LDCs, in short LDC5.

I wish to thank our main co-organisers, FERDI and the OECD Development Centre. Prof. Guillaumont, the President of Ferdi, and Mario Pezzini, the Director of the Development Centre and Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the OECD.

You both are good friends of not only OHRLLS but also the LDCs.

I also thank all other partners for contributing to this endeavor.

Just as you all, I am grateful to see the LDC IV Monitor, which is a consortium including the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD, Bangladesh), with us.

You already contributed to the Fourth UN Conference in Istanbul and its mid-term review and I am very happy to see you engaged in the preparations for LDC5.

Last but certainly not least, I must acknowledge the collaboration with the Southern Voice network of think tanks, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER). 

It is encouraging to see such a broad group representing many stakeholders not only from governments, the UN and think tanks but also civil society. Indeed, it is all together that we must engage in discussions about the needs of LDCs and what can be done to enhance their resilience.

As I said a moment ago, our virtual meeting takes place in the context of the preparations of LDC5.

The General Assembly has agreed to hold the conference from 23 to 27 January 2022, in Doha, Qatar, at the highest level.

Three key goals will drive the leaders from all UN Member States:

Undertake a comprehensive appraisal of the IPOA implementation by the LDCs and their development partners;

Mobilize additional international support measures and action in favour of the LDCs and,
Agree on a renewed partnership between the LDCs and their development partners, including the private sector, civil society and governments at all levels.

It is with even stronger resolve and determination that we relaunch the LDC5 preparatory process.

From now to January 2022, an intensive preparatory process takes place. This includes regional review meetings for Africa and Haiti and Asia-Pacific LDCs.

A range of formal and informal meetings will happen and involve many stakeholders, including parliaments, the private sector, youth, foundations and civil society.

You can find all the details on our website.

Additionally, and in a novel effort, we organize what we call an Academic Conference.

We do so next year jointly with UNU-WIDER, SDSN, and the Government of Finland, in Helsinki.

The goal is to provide an analytical underpinning to the discussions leading up to the LDC5.

So why is this LDC5 conference so important?

The IPoA set as its key goal to overcome the structural challenges of LDCs as the means to eradicate poverty, achieve internationally agreed development goals and enable graduation from the LDC category.

The most recent report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the IPoA highlights that there has been some progress and most notably with respect to graduation.

But as always there is a but.

The objectives of achieving structural transformation and building productive capacity, and of combating poverty through high rates of economic growth and decent jobs powered by export growth, have not been realized. And this we could already see even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

It is the very well documented vulnerabilities of these countries causing this limited progress.

Just let me mention a few.

There is their narrow range of export products which makes them vulnerable to any fluctuations in commodity prices. Prices have declined since 2013 and thus have diminished the value of exports and foreign currency earnings.

We have climate vulnerability due to climate change induced or accelerated phenomena such as hurricanes, cyclones, flooding, drought and landslides. They have caused devastating loss and damage to lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront inequalities and poverty and so starkly teaches us lessons about the interlinked nature of the various vulnerabilities LDCs face and the devastation this causes.

Yes, we have the direct health impacts of the pandemic but at the same time we have the direct impacts on the very livelihoods of people. Tourism, trade and remittances have plummeted in these nations. The consequences are many from job losses, to increasing poverty and a decline in government revenues, worsening an already acute debt situation.

The lockdown and closures have had major negative social impacts, including on gender, decent work, health, education, and food security. The vast majority of workers in LDCs are in the informal economy and do not benefit from social protection.

For example, in the Sahel region, nationwide school closures due to COVID-19 came at a time when a very large number of schools had already been closed for several months because of severe insecurity, strikes, or climatic hazards.

For girls that cannot attend school for months because of school closures it became more likely that they will not ever return to school with all the negative long-term consequences this might have.

COVID-19 has also shown us how urgent it is that we close yet another divide, the digital divide. Countries that are left furthest behind need support from all relevant actors to enable remote schooling, telemedicine and make use of digital finance.

Indeed, like a mirror we have to look into, the COVID-19 pandemic all too clearly gives us the reflection of stark inequalities and how they keep growing within countries, between countries, regions and at the global level.

So, I just shared with you some examples of the vulnerabilities of LDCs that we together must address and they will be discussed in the first panel today.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

This brings me to a key topic : development finance.

Prior to the global crisis we now all face, development financing had already fallen short of the financing requirements to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Prior to the global crisis, fiscal space of the LDCs was already limited due to rising public debt levels and servicing costs.

Not only does this lacking access to finance make it much harder for LDCs to respond to the crisis but it also means that no single source of financing will be enough to close the COVID-19-induced financing gap.

The collapse of domestic revenues we now see severely limits LDCs’ ability to put together sufficient health and stimulus packages.

The decline of remittances will leave too many families in destitution and increase poverty.

The steep decline in FDI to LDCs will hamper urgently needed investment in building productive capacity so that the much needed jobs are created and building back better happens.

For LDCs, it remains difficult to attract private finance due to their high vulnerabilities, smallness and their risk perception.

Yet, they have large needs for example for investments in infrastructure, from transport to sustainable energy.

My Office through the ‘COVID-19 - The Most Vulnerable 91’ campaign, put a spotlight on the very limited scale of funding that has been made available to the LDCs during the pandemic.

LDCs have all made national efforts to respond to the pandemic, their spending power is vastly outmatched by what advanced economies are able to mobilize.

LDCs remain among the poorest nations in the world and their financial resources are limited and their spending power to tackle major crises is very low.

Our research shows that less than seven dollars per head has been shared with LDCs by the international community to help them combat the pandemic.

We are now at a juncture.

More than ever, commitments with respect to ODA and beyond must be met. Increased climate finance must be provided and real debt relief must be seriously considered.

The impacts of the pandemic will be far-reaching and felt for years to come.

LDCs are the most vulnerable with least access to resources. The LDCs’ structural vulnerabilities are visible to all of us and there is absolute urgency to build resilience and redouble efforts towards achieving the SDGs.

The credibility of and trust in multi- lateral cooperation are at stake.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

This brings me to the need for the new Programme of Action for the LDCs, which will be adopted by Member States in Doha.

This programme must be ambitious and aim towards addressing recovery efforts, building back better, building back inclusively and driving efforts towards the Decade for Action in the LDCs.

It is my sincere hope that our virtual event will generate ideas and political momentum for an effective and coordinated response from international actors to provide adequate financing and technical assistance to build back better for a more equitable, sustainable and resilient world.

I look forward to hearing fresh ideas we can put into action to secure a truly sustainable future for the LDCs.

Thank you.

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