New York – 9 May 2015

Delivered by Ambassador Arthur Kafeero on behalf of President Kutesa

Excellencies,
Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Eliasson,
Under Secretary-General, Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to participate in this consultative meeting of the Least Developed Countries and the Friends of the Least Developed Countries on behalf of H.E. Mr. Sam Kutesa, President of the 69th Session of the General Assembly.

As we seek to formulate a transformative and inclusive post-2015 development agenda, we are presented with a historic opportunity to change the world for the better.

In doing so, it is imperative that the special needs and challenges of LDCs are taken into account, so they are better-positioned to achieve their sustainable development objectives.

A development agenda that leaves no one behind will require a strengthened financing framework and a renewed global partnership which ensures that resources are channelled to those most in need.

Mobilizing adequate means of implementation for our future development agenda will require commitments from governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and all other stakeholders.

Excellencies,

The upcoming Financing for Development Conference, to take place in Addis Ababa this July, will provide an important opportunity to ensure sufficient resources are put into place for our future development framework.

In Addis, we should seek to address the unique challenges facing LDCs, including the troubling trend of declining Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA remains a pivotal source of financing for developing countries and will be critical for advancing and promoting their sustainable development efforts.

Supporting LDCs to enhance the efficiency of their tax collection efforts and increasing their capacity building should be other areas of focus during the Addis Conference to foster stronger national ownership of their development pathways.

For LDCs to achieve sustained and inclusive growth and sustainable development, structural transformation through improved productive capacity will be necessary. This should entail economic diversification and transformation towards high productive sectors such as industry and services.

In this regard, infrastructure development, technology transfer and capacity building are crucial. I look forward to the report of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries and on contributions to effectively make progress on this issue.

Building a fair and rules-based trading regime is also vital for our efforts. The Addis Conference will offer an important opportunity for promoting increased participation of LDCs in international trade. The conclusion of the Doha round of trade negotiations is also needed and the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, particularly LDCs, must be implemented in accordance with WTO agreements.

In addition to the post-2015 development agenda, this year the world will also seek to finalize a new, universal climate change agreement. In that process, it is essential that the special needs of LDCs in tackling the effects of climate change are effectively addressed.

Due to structural handicaps and lack of capacity and resources, LDCs are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which threaten to undo decades of progress towards promoting LDCs’ economic and social development, especially poverty eradication.

While LDCs need to take immediate and decisive actions to tackle these issues domestically, international cooperation in terms of financial and technical assistance as well as policy and institutional support is needed.

Excellencies,

The overall success of the post-2015 development agenda will depend, in part, on the ability of LDCs to achieve their sustainable development goals. For this reason, the special needs of LDCs are included in 12 of the 17 proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It is my hope that events such as this will contribute to ensuring our deliberations on the post-2015 development agenda and Financing for Development are productive, bearing in mind the particular challenges facing LDCs.

I thank you for your attention.