Regional Reviews of the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries

 The sixtieth session of the General Assembly (2005) in resolution 60/228 called on the regional com-missions to assist LDCs in under-taking regional reviews of the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries (BPoA) in their respective regions in preparation for the mid-term comprehensive review in 2006 by the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

The regional preparatory meeting of African LDCs was held from 21 to 23 February 2006, at ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since Haiti is the only LDC from the Latin America and Caribbean region, it participated at this session. The regional review meetings assessed the progress made and constraints encountered during the first five years of implementation, and formulated recommendations to overcome the identified obstacles to ensure the full and timely implementation of the commitments contained in the Programme of Action. Furthermore, the meeting provided an opportuni-ty for the African LDCs to share best practices and lessons learned. The outcome document, adopted at this meeting, reveals that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with-in the agreed timeframe by African LDCs is challenging. The document calls for greater emphasis on the full implementation of the BPoA during the remaining period of the Programme of Action at the national, subregional, regional and global levels. To achieve this, there is an urgent need for efforts on the part of the LDCs, their development partners, the UN system, international financial and trade institutions, and civil society, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The meeting noted that most subregional and regional entities do not have any specific programme for the LDCs. With a view to making subregional and regional bodies more proactive, the meeting recommended that subregional and regional bodies should assist LDCs in the implementation of the Programme of Action and provide inputs for regional meetings

In preparation for the Asia-Pacific regional review, ESCAP organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) in Phnom Penh from 14 to 16 February 2006. During this meeting, the national focal points from the 14 LDCs in the Asian and Pacific region developed a draft consensus on issues related to the regional implementation of the Programme of Action. The region-al review meeting was held in Bangkok from 14 to 15 March 2006. All ESCAP member countries, including the 14 LDCs, UN bodies, and other international organizations participated in the mid-term review. Yemen, an LDC from the Western Asia region, also participated in this session. The Asia-Pacific regional outcome document, adopted at this meeting, focused on the assessment of progress towards attainment of the MDGs through the implementation of the BPoA. The meeting also discussed the implementation of regional support measures in areas of financing for development; trade, migration and technology transfer; environment; and security issues. The meeting discussed national, regional and international measures for the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals. The limited availability of internationally comparable statistics on least developed countries during the period 2001-2006 affected the conduct of the regional review.