It’s been two years the world began the struggle against COVID-19, the member states of the United Nations today adopted a historic new compact to support the countries whose vulnerabilities it most exposed.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the 46 countries in the least developed category have suffered through vaccine inequity, inadequate pandemic-fighting resources, and spiraling debt.
This agreement, known as the Doha Programme of Action, aims to ensure that the most vulnerable states are firmly placed back at the top of the international agenda.
Named after the host City of the 5th United Nations conference on the least developed countries (LDC5), the Doha programme of action for the least developed countries for the decade 2022-2031 (DPoA), commits the world to a new generation of renewed and strengthened commitments between the least developed countries and their development partners, as well as the private sector and civil society.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said “We are confident that the Doha programme of action will serve as a roadmap and a solid basis to raise the level of ambition and leave no one behind.
“It reflects a commitment from all partners to provide more resources and help realize the full potential offered by science, technology and innovation, as it contains important tools and measures to foster change in the Least Developed Countries, and achieve sustainable development.”
Among the five lifelines for the least developed Countries, including action on climate, peace and security and finance reform, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said “The least developed countries can count on the total commitment of the entire UN system first in our plans, first in our investments, and always first in our actions.”
Speaking in his capacity as the Chair of the LDC Group, the President of Malawi, H.E. Lazarus Chakwera, said, “The current global context could not be more pressing, it demands a collaborative, collective, and courageous response, it demands the adoption of the Doha programme of action, for it is our best opportunity for charting a recovery path for the world’s most vulnerable countries, action is our only hope.”
The Least Developed Countries:
Afghanistan; Angola; Bangladesh; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Chad; Comoros; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Haiti; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Lesotho; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mozambique; Myanmar; Nepal; Niger; Rwanda; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tuvalu; Uganda; United Republic of Tanzania; Yemen and Zambia.
