From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#3 (February 1998), Watch page

LDCs
Conference on world's poorest countries set for 2001

The United Nations plans to hold a high-level conference in the year 2001, possibly in New York, to discuss the plight of the world's 48 least developed countries (LDCs). The Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is responsible for organizing the proposed meeting, but its duration and dates have not be finalized. The conference will be the third major UN conferences on the plight of the world's poorest nations, following those held in 1981 and 1990, both in Paris.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN Anwarul Karum Chowdhury, who coordinates LDC delegations at the UN, says the status of these poor countries needs to be urgently reviewed, given the failure of the international community to come up with the necessary support for their development.

On 9 February, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other senior officials, meeting with a high-level delegation from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), agreed to collaborate in promoting greater investment flows into Africa and the LDCs. They called on UNCTAD to work with the ICC to prepare a business investment guide to highlight potentially profitable opportunities in the LDCs, which in 1996 attracted only 0.5 per cent of total foreign investment flows.

Material from this article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to "Africa Recovery, United Nations".
We would appreciate a copy of the reproduction.

Africa Recovery
Room S-931
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA

Tel: (212) 963-6857
Fax: (212) 963-4556
Email: africa_recovery@un.org

Website: www.africarecovery.org
Contact us by email: africa_recovery@un.org