National Reviews

In 2019, LDCs were asked to report on the progress made at the national level towards the goals of the Istanbul Programme of Action (see  letter  of the High Representative to the Permanent Representatives of LDCs to the UN). Guidelines for the preparation of these national reports were prepared by OHRLLS and provided to all LDCs (see guidelines in  English  and  French). UN country teams in the LDCs were asked to extend their support as appropriate to national level preparations (see  letter  to the UN Resident Coordinators in the LDCs). 

The network of existing LDC National Focal Points (NFPs) has played a key role in the preparation of the national reviews.   

In November 2019, OHRLLS organized the Annual Workshop of the National Focal Points of LDCs at UNHQ in New York. The workshop provided an opportunity for NFPs to exchange experiences, challenges and policy solutions among peers in implementation of the IPOA. Many presented the main findings of their draft national reviews.   

In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, OHRLLS convened a virtual meeting of the National Focal Points of African LDCs. At this meeting, they were invited to share effective initiatives and policies, as well as challenges faced by the coronavirus as it threatens to roll back years of progress made in the implementation of the IPoA and SDGs. NFPs also discussed impediments to recovery and much-needed international support. Relevant UN agencies as well as UN Resident Coordinators were invited to share their perspectives. 

National Reports

To date, 28 LDCs have submitted their national reports to UN-OHRLLS in preparation for LDC5. See here for national reports as they are submitted by LDCs to UN-OHRLLS. 

In line with the aim of the LDC5 Conference, the UN-OHRLLS has prepared a report that undertakes a full assessment of the implementation of the program of action by LDCs and their development partners. The report shares best practices and lessons learned, whilst highlighting the challenges that hindered the LDCs from meeting the objectives set out in the IPoA, as well as necessary actions and initiatives to overcome them. The report draws upon the extensive National Reports and several relevant supporting publications to capture the overall progress of the LDCs in the implementation of the IPoA. Given the level of detail in each national report, this report synthesizes the reoccurring themes across the 3 regions (Asian and Pacific, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean), highlighting key country experiences to illustrate the lessons learned to achieve the IPoA objectives during the decade of implementation. Full Report