High Representative’s meeting with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy

Mr. Anwarul Chowdhury, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, Small Island Developing States met on 5 February 2003 with Mr. Mario Baccini, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy. Mr. Chowdhury briefed the Vice-Minister on the Brussels LDC Programme of Action; the ECOSOC Annual Review on the Implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action to be held in Geneva in July 2003; the International Ministerial Conference of the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries and International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 28-29 August 2003; and the International Meeting on the Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action to be held in Mauritius in 2004. Mr. Chowdhury also called for cancellation of debt of the LDCs as well as for an increase in the ODA to the LDCs.