ECOSOC 18TH JULY 2007

Humanitarian Affairs Segment

Side Event (Morning Session)

This meeting was a workshop for the national focal points of least developed countries organized by the Office of the High Representative for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and Small Island developing States.

First of all, the moderator presented the goals of this workshop which is to discuss about the follow-up of the MTR and the implementation of the Brussels Programme of action for the decade 2001-2010. Then, the moderator opened the floor to delegates.

First, Bangladesh welcomed this meeting which is effective before MTR. He asked to the moderator what role the office is playing for LDC’s? The moderator took the opportunity for speaking about the office’s goals which are only to implement the Brussels programme.

Then, the representative of Central African Republic took the floor and deplored that the road is still long for LDC’s to reach the MDG’s. He would like to know what measures has been taken by the office to permit LDC’s to reach these goals? The moderator said that the goal of the office is to increase LDC’s GNI of 0.8 % in 2008 and almost 1 % in 2010 through several measures as debt reduction or development assistance policies. Nevertheless, she also deplored that the donors are not able to give more.

After, the delegate of Sierra-Leone made a presentation of the initiatives and programmes set up in her countries. The moderator deplores that the issue of unemployment has been obscured. Indeed, people in LDC’s are young. Thus, she would like to know what were the measures taken by the government to ensure decent work for young people and how the government is dealing with this crucial issue?

The eventful fact of the meeting was the statement of the representative of Benin, on behalf of LDC’s, who had drawn up a grim finding of the situation. He deplored that the Brussels programme for action will run out in 3 years and nothing had been done in particular the issue of resources mobilization. He blamed donors of finding in bad governance an alibi for not bringing resources. He expressed that so far, fair and democratic elections have been held everywhere among LDC’s and the argument of bad governance advanced by donors is just a pretext for not respecting their commitments.

The delegate of Guinea shared the concern of the previous speaker and also found interesting that a country like Sierra-Leone, which was in war until few times, made such obvious progress. He finally welcomed the efforts made by this country to ensure fair and transparent elections and hope it will be the same for Guinea’s election which will be hold in December 2007.

Sierra-Leone ended the meeting and stressed that it is important to coordinate the national focal point and the NY focal point. The delegate looked forward the mobilisation of many stakeholders and welcomed the involvement of civil society after the civil war. Nevertheless, she noted that the climate remains unsteady and that the situation is at the same level than before the war.