With a mission to reduce harms of pollution and waste

2011 has been described as a critical year for the environment. This is the time when the world has to get ready for the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil. At the UN, preparations are well under way and on 2-13 May crucial issues for a greener and healthier planet will be addressed. Read more

Strengthening the voice of indigenous people

Today, there are over 370 million indigenous people in about 90 countries worldwide. They have unique cultures and ways of relating to other people and the environment with social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from the dominant societies in which they live. Despite cultural differences, the various indigenous peoples around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples. Read more

Hearing highlights civil society’s role in LDC development

“The unique capacity of civil society to forge grand coalitions that transcends borders, running from the grassroots to the international level needs to be put to the service of the development cause of LDCs”, stated Ambassador Cheick Sidi Diarra, Secretary-General of the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (UN LDC IV) at an Interactive Civil Society Hearing on 1 April. Read more

Statistical compilations

Handbooks

Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (now available in French)

This Handbook is now available in French and it aims at promoting a better understanding of the LDC category and the benefits derived from membership therein. It contains a comprehensive explanation of the criteria, procedures and methodology used by the Committee for Development Policy for establishing which countries are eligible for inclusion in, or recommended for graduation from, the LDC category. It also provides an overview of the international support measures that can be derived from having least developed country status and the implications of graduating from the list in terms of the potential loss of such measures. Read more

Goings

The following staff member retired in April:

Ann Orr, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Financing for Development office