ANTALYA, Turkey, 29 May - A complete summary of today's plenary meetings of the Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries will be made available after their conclusion.
Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries - Antalya, 27-29 May 2016
ANTALYA, Turkey, 28 May - Innovative approaches, creative financing measures and strong cross-sector partnerships were among the most effective, game-changing tools for lifting populations out of poverty and building a sound foundation for sustainable growth, delegates heard on day two of the Midterm Review for the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.
ANTALYA, Turkey, 27 May — The world’s 48 poorest countries were an enormous resource for global prosperity, but without redoubled efforts to help them enhance productivity, diversify their economies and weather external shocks, the full potential of their 900 million citizens would remain untapped, high-level speakers stressed today as the Midterm Review for the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries opened in Antalya, Turkey.
Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, to the opening of the Comprehensive High-Level Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action, in Antalya, Turkey, on 27 May:
Global Community Meets to Assess Progress of Least Developed Countries at Major United Nations Event
High-level officials from around the world have gathered in Antalya, Turkey, today to assess the progress of the world’s least developed countries and their path to sustainable development. The event is set to discuss the lessons learnt over the past five years and assess ways forward, highlighting that global peace and prosperity hinges on progress in these countries where almost a billion people face significant development challenges.
ISTANBUL, 13 May — Slashing by half the list of 48 States with the most extreme poverty and vulnerability to crises is the goal of a new 10-year action plan agreed by the world’s Governments at the conclusion this evening in Istanbul, Turkey, of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
ISTANBUL, 12 May — As central managers of families and communities, women held the key to unlocking human development potential, but unless they were equally empowered to access financial, social and health services, and engaged — from the start — in decisions that affected their lives, least developed countries would remain powerless to unleash it, said participants in the last of six high-level thematic debates held during the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
ISTANBUL, 12 May — With negotiators edging towards consensus on the outcome of the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, speakers today used the gathering’s penultimate plenary session to press for a 10-year action plan grounded in sound policies that ensured delivery on past pledges for development assistance and brought down the barriers blocking their paths to economic growth.
ISTANBUL, 11 May — The inexorable collapse of autocratic regimes in Africa, the stirring cries for free expression in the Middle East, and the demand for transparent political processes worldwide were vivid examples of why good governance practices should be encouraged –- and reinforced -- in all societies, experts said this morning during a high-level panel at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
ISTANBUL, 11 May — Broad agreement emerged today during the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries concerning the responsibility of the world’s poorest countries for their own development and the need for those recipient Governments to optimize international assistance, as the meeting continued into its third day.
ISTANBUL, 11 May — An expert panel at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries this afternoon considered the unique vulnerabilities of those countries and weighed strategies to help them rise above a raft of complex challenges, including geographical isolation, skyrocketing food prices, global warming, and lack of access to clean water.
ISTANBUL, 10 May — In order to benefit from access to world markets, it was vital for the poorest countries to increase their production capabilities in agriculture, industry and services, a high-level panel at the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least-Developed Countries agreed this afternoon.
ISTANBUL, 10 May — Prodigious existing domestic and international flows of funds, as well as innovative financing methods, must be harnessed to fill the huge gap in infrastructure and human resources suffered by the poorest countries, a high-level panel said this morning at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Istanbul.
ISTANBUL, 10 May — Structurally transforming the world’s poorest countries over the next decade required investing in national productive sectors, building infrastructure to boost trade and, for many small islands, adopting measures to cushion against external shocks that often wiped out hard-won gains, senior Government officials said today as the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries moved into its second day.
ISTANBUL, 9 May — Declaring that they had lived up to their end of the development partnership bargain, leaders from developing nations called for renewed political will from donors to help them stimulate economic activity, create jobs, participate as equals in global trade and turn back the ravages of poverty, as talks on a new 10-year development programme for the world’s poorest countries got under way in Istanbul this afternoon.
ISTANBUL, 9 May — As the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries opened this morning, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, other senior international officials and Heads of State and Government called for a new vision to reverse the profound poverty of the people living in the world’s 48 poorest countries and lay a firm foundation for their integration into the world economy.
ISTANBUL, 9 May — While the private sector was the main force behind diversifying national economies and spurring integration into the global economy, in least developed countries, it was dominated by small and informal enterprises, making the creation of an enabling business environment essential for their advancement over the next decade, said participants in the first of six high-level thematic debates to be held during the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.