KATHMANDU : Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali virtually addressed the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly this morning.
In his address, Foreign Minister Gyawali underlined the far-reaching socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and natural disasters on LDCs, including Nepal, and called for the launch of a global stimulus package for LDCs to be implemented with immediate effect.
“Our focus must be on the unfinished business of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPOA). It is also a time to reflect upon the gaps between the IPOA and its implementation and identify the bottlenecks that need our introspection,” said Minister Gyawali.
Acknowledging the support extended by the development partners, UN, and international organizations, Minister Gyawali emphasized the need to compensate the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) shortfalls by lifting trade barriers, debt relief, transfer of technology and scaling up of aid for trade.
He also called for international cooperation and solidarity to ensure that due space and priority is provided to LDCs’ challenges and concerns in multilateral processes.
A number of ministers from LDCs, development partners, and high-level UN officials participated in the meeting, which adopted a Ministerial Declaration at its conclusion.
