EU calls on other nations to match its aid pledge to LDCs

The European Union will urge other nations to match its pledge of 0.15-0.20 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) to Least Developed Countries at the Fourth United nations Conference on LDCs to take place 9th-13th May, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The purpose of the conference is to assess the results of the 10-year action plan for the LDCs adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on LDCs in Brussels, Belgium, in 2001 and adopt new measures and strategies for the sustainable development of the LDCs into the next decade.

Forty-eight countries around the globe are considered to be LDCs. They include 33 nations of sub-Saharan Africa; Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. In Asia and the Pacific there are 14 LDCs; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Yemen. In the Caribbean, only Haiti is an LDC.

Prior to leaving for Istanbul, EU Commissioner President, José Manuel Barroso said that the EU would call for a renewed global partnership of LDCs and both developed and emerging economies, working together with civil society and the private sector, to ensure a joined up approach to helping the LDCs meet their development goals.

"The world will come together in Istanbul to accelerate the development and eradicate poverty in the poorest members of our global community. The European Union will continue to show leadership in this critical endeavour. As the world's most generous donor, we provide more than half of the global aid to our partners and have tripled our assistance the LDCs to 15 billion euro a year. This tangible European solidarity is a matter of justice, but also a strategic necessity: only through a renewed global partnership can we tackle today's challenges, from political instability to food security and climate change, and offer a perspective of a better life to millions of people," said President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, added: "LDCs are facing difficult challenges and the EU will remain at the forefront of helping them to strengthen their resilience to crisis. We will work hard to address the root causes of poverty which often lead to radicalisation and desperation of people. This is also a key to create a favourable environment for sustainable development and unlock the potential of the poorest countries on the globe. I trust that all international actors will lift up to their duties and expectations."