Report on THE 3RD UNITED
NATIONS CONFERENCE ON LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, 14-20 May 2001.
The number of LDCs has doubled since the category was first created by
the United Nations in 1971, from 25 to 49. The criteria are: low national
income (under US$900 for countries now joining the list), low levels of human
per capital development (a composite index based on health, nutrition, savings
and investment, standard of living and education indicators), and economic
vulnerability (based on situations and complex issues like instability,
inadequate diversification and the handicap of small size.
The world’s least developed countries are countries devastated by major
economic, social and political crises. In most of the LDCs average income per
capita is lower than at the end of the 1960s; income assets and access to
essential services are unequally distributed. Malnutrition, diseases and a
persistent lack of capability to keep pace with the latest wave of progress in
information technology further deteriorate the problem.
The aim of the 3rd UN Conference on LDCs was to improve the
living conditions of the inhabitants of the 48 countries which belong to ths
category. There was no doubt during the preparatory meetings for this
conference that this s a worthy aim since the average LDC citizen live a life
of deprivation.
According to Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of the UN Conference On Least Developed Countries - "The UN see the effects of globalization on LDCs in
its books and NGOs (traditionally critical of the UN, UNCTAD, the Bretton
Woods institutions and the WTO in its books and demonstratons) are allies in
seeking to change the status quo.
The multinational corporations (MNCs) came into the picture, again, as
the sign of progress in Western Europe, the United States etc., and the symbol
of social, economic and technological underdevelopment in the LDCs. There was
hardly a meeting at the LDC III NGO Forum in Brussels where the UN, US, the EU,
IMF, the World Bank and the MNCs did not come under one form of attack or blame
for the predicament of the LDCs. At the conferences and meetings organized by
the LDC conference secretariat, the UN and other international organzations,
there was a particular expression of hope on the measures outlined for
progression of countries and citizens, out of the LDC to developing country
status.
The NGOs disagree with Ricupero’s comments. In brief, they called for a
more drastic and effective solution to the problems activated by poverty and
that they wish to see signs of progress in the LDCs in the short term. However,
both sides seem to understand the nature of any change that will take place, if
ever, in the LDCs: Complex.
34 of the 49 least developed countries are from sub-saharan Africa and
it is hard work for any organization and conference to convince the world that
the UN’s LDC symbol placed on countries, and on which the UN has held 3
conferences after which it has laid out the plan for the 4th UN
Conference, is a natural sequence in the transformation of country from poor to
liveable.
The conference, in adopting a political declaration and programme of
action for the next 10 years, committed its 193 participating governments to
lowering trade barriers to LDC exports, reducing the debt burden and increasing
official development assistance (ODA).
The conference, which opened on 14 May, focused on the 49 LDCs. A
year-long preparatory process had provided the power and chance for
trailblazing measures to be designed in order to solve the LDC economic and
welfare problems, however, today, the LDCs are in the same shape and size as
they were before the conference.
AFRICA: MACRO- AND
MICRO ECONOMY
Even more than in many other regions of the world,
external factors continue to dominate growth and development prospects.
Creating a distance from external factors is not easy on the ground in Africa
and other considerations apart from the expectable standard of living and the
nature of our global economic landscape due to seen circumstances, seem to have
become ripe for positive steps to economic development in Africa.
Economic activity in the oil-exporting countries was
boosted by the rise in oil prices, which led to insignificant improvements in
fiscal and external balances. The changes in the macro-economy of African
countries for the better or worse does not reflect in the general nature of
Africa’s micro-economy. Growth and development of small-scale industries, NGOs
and individuals (citizens) in African countries seem to be the result of help
from family members overseas and like-minded organizations at home and abroad.
Apart from the LDCs, other countries in Africa,
oil-exporting countries like Algeria, Libya and Nigeria benefit from higher oil
revenues than Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. According to UNCTAD, overall growth
in Central, West and East Africa was close to the continental average, lower in
Southern Africa and higher in North Africa. Reports from the EU during the
conference show that there is no significant progress in Africa during the past
year. Algeria’s growth is Nigeria’s rise and fall in the economy does not have
any impact on 50% of the business conducted there. This is becoming true of
many developing countries around the world where money from friends and family
in more flexible and developed countries keep the people back home in good
shape. This private flow of fund is independent of most least developed countries
balance of payments.
Botswana: is the only country to graduate out of the LDC
list into the developing country list. UNCTAD said the Botswana ‘miracle’ s due
to wily macro-economic management and by keeping its democracy fine-tuned. Of
course, being blessed with diamonds, and new thinking on sales and
accountability has also helped. Now, UN AIDS report say the situation is
critical in Botswana- an infection rate of 35 per cent is the highest in the
world. Life expectancy has been calculated down to 29 years. Economic
depression is expected in the year 2002. We can say graduate Botswana is
threatened with failure. But sometimes, UN reports hardly reflect the situation
in developing countries, where these reports fall in line with the truth is how
close they are to the miseries of people living in poor countries. Life
expectancy of the leaders in Africa is surely longer than that of the
proletarians.
IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS
How can successful exporters in LDCs convert export
opportunties into business? In a Business Sector Roundtable organized by the
International Trade Centre during the conference. 75 exporters from least
developed countries were there with senior policy makers in government,
business and international organizations
The aim of the roundtable was to encourage the exporters
from LDCs to share experiences and challenges they met as exporters in a
globalized economy.
THE UN SYSTEM, LDC
OR COMPANY : WHAT IS WRONG?
Most of the LDC problems are pointed out by critics as coming from the
developed countries and economies foreign policies and blocs, but many critics
believe that there is so much that the LDCs can do through the Group of 77 and
China, the OAU, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the South African
Development Corporation (SADC), the Maghreb Union, etc.
The last decades of the 20th and the first years centuries
have witnessed an increasing openness among friendly nations and a complicated
relation through opposition in the ever-expanding world market and politics
among other nations.
During this period the interdependence of economies as developments in
science and technology; growth in goods and services among the countries, companies
and organisations plotting the path and dictating the rules of profit and
sustainable development is real, however, the fiction is the way in which
leading and more-developed companies etc. are expected to support growth in the
developing world or supposedly finding ways to make the least-developed
countries attain higher production levels and profit margins.
The solutions to the economic problems of poor countries are supposed to
come from these countries, it must be guided by a real or improvised motivation
to work towards a more progressive cohesion and a special brand of satisfaction
with the results.
Central organization of the components of progress (people, science,
finance, art etc.) by the government was seen in human history as a fundamental
necessity for growth in economic power and independence, especially in the
Marshall Plan for Europe, American preference for Japanese and Israeli
economies etc.
If that is what we are talking about, there must be a way to solve the
economic and social problems of the LDCs. Bringing UNCTAD into the Economic and
Social Council of the United Nations where the world discuss and argue on the
Economic and Social Rights of Man cannot solve the problems.
The LDCs will tell the people that there are unseen forces, market
forces and political forces everywhere, working against their best plans;
destroying the foundations of their national, educational and environmental development; uprooting their
production chains or that the new set of problems with their weak economy is
because they do not support American and EU politics.
Most of these reasons and allegations do have elements of truth in them
but a country like Nigeria (not on the LDC list, bearing the traits of an LDC
and a good example poverty in the midst of ‘plenty’) have more money stolen by
government officials than its total external debt, though it is right to say
that the people suffer, and we might ask: what is the solution to economic
problems?
In parallel to this, is the growing international production, trade,
economy and corporate collaboration across countries in a decentralised
fashion. Clearly, the sources of the best solutions to developing country
problems are found in controlled group action. What multinational enterprises
have taken away from developing country governments and enterprises is their
freedom to operate freely, even with adequate resources and expertise, in the
new world economy, ruled by products in the market, a constant mismanagement of
developing countries by the developing countries and political sides.
THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU)
Most of the LDCs are from the African continent. Apart from questions
raised as to the integrity and commitment of the bretton-Woods institutions, the
UN and multinational corporations when it comes to reconstructing damaged
African economies, African governments, regional bodies in Africa and the OAU
have not been targets of the civil society and demonstrators. There is a time
limit to their operations behind the curtains since thw World Bank, IMF, WTO
etc work closely with the governments of LDCs and other African states in order
to implement their approved proposals.
THE ECONOMIC ISSUES AT THE LDC CONFERENCE.
In simple economic terms,
the lack of financial resources, ‘fewer’ freedoms, rights and possibilities are
regarded by many people as two important explanations, why LDCs are in bad
shape in the global market place where consensus is the norm. People living
from hand to mouth are unable to save, unable to invest, and unable to export
anything beyond the basic commodities or raw materials in which they still have
comparative advantage.
The governments of the
LDCs are to blame for their economic woes and social problems, as long as the
officials of LDCs have been pointed out as the main obstacles to development in
the world. Pointing fingers at seen and unseen hands is not the only solution
to the problems, preparing a detailed transition programme on how the LDCs will
make progress from the poor and present state to the comfortable and future
state.
Economists within and
outside the international and private financial institutions propose different
plans and solutions to the economic problems of poor nations.
Macro-economic problems can
be remedied in several ways: through trade (increased production and export),
direct foreign investment, aid and foreign debt reduction. Before looking at
these issues, it is useful to compare the current level of these categories in
quantitative terms.
For developing countries
as a whole, trade is by far the most important source of foreign currency
earnings, yielding about US$1.5 trillion a year. Foreign investments are in the
range of $200 billion whileaid brings in no more than $50 billion. Moreover,
the Highly Indebted poor Countries, (HIPC) initiative has lowered developing
countries debt service expenditures. Though not an actual source of foreign
currency, it has expanded their financial scope.
The problem with these
figures is that exports and investments are concentrated in a few Asian and
South American countries. An entirely different picture emerges from a
consideration of the data for LDCs. Here, too, trade comes first, bringing in
$25 billion a year. But aid turns out to be a very substantial second, at $12
billion, an average $250 million per country.
According to INZET, The
association for North-South campaigns based in Amsterdam, foreign investment,
for LDCs, is relatively insignificant
with $5 billion a year, most of which goes to only four countries. The
remaining 44 only capture foreign investments of about $1 billion a year, an
average of just $27 million a year for each country and only one-tenth of the
amount they receive as foreign aid. Debt relief is more important for many LDCs:
16 of them belong to the group of 22 developing nations that have promised debt
service relief under the HIPC initiative. These 22 will have to pay $34 billion
less than foreseen (principal and interest put together).
1. Remedies through trade
It is widely held, though
not in all economic ideas of the present, that trade is the surest avenue by
which developing countries can increase their income, and hence their capacity
for saving and investment. Their standard of living will also increase in the
short term.
Therefore, in line with
the minimal commitments made, the developed countries - main targets of
developing nations exports and trade - should remove trade barriers, whether
these are tariffs, quota or other non-tariff barriers.
In order to help LDCs
achieve economic growth, the European Union's Everything But Arms (EBA) proposal is laudable. It aims at
ultimately removing all EU customs tariffs and quotas for imports from LDCs and
it's a good step towards the achievement of the commitments to LDC growth made
by the EU, different from the obligations signed by countries and regional
bodies on the one hand, and UNCTAD, WTO etc. on the other.
The first step taken by
the EU-EBA proposal for LDCs were concessions to pressure groups which
considerably watered down its appeal to LDCs
when the EU admitted European and non-LDC developing countries as
beneficiaries under the proposal.
Adoption of the EBA
proposal by the US, Canada, Australia and Japan will make the initial EU action
more effective in solving LDC problems through increased employment and trade,
which will increase profit, create a higher standard of living and induce
saving, local and foreign direct investment, a product of a better appeal in
the world market.
The UN, in its final
document on the LDC before the 3rd Conference on the LDC in
Brussels, state: The four million people living in the Republic of Senegal
haven't reaped the benefits of the 60 per cent surge in Global Merchandise
Trade over the past decade. Instead, Senegal has joined the 48 LDC that stretch
from Africa to the South Pacific to the Caribbean and share less than one-half
of 1 per cent of the US$6.8 billion in global trade in goods and services
2. Debt Reduction
An important initiative
from which many LDCs are supposedly having unprecedented debt relief is the
Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative. Such claims are false for many
reasons. In the OECD's Development
Cooperation 1999 Report, the average reduction in annual debt service through
2005 under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative compared with debt service paid during
1993-1996 for Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Uganda would be equivalent to just
6-8 per cent of net ODA in 1997.
In the light of recent
commodity price declines, increase in the price of technological development,
stealing by government officials in developing countries and reduction in aid
flows to LDC-HIPCs, including those not in conflict or war, there may bother
reasons for the worsening economic situation in these countries.
E-TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
IN LDCs?
The digital economy may be
reshaping everything from business to popular views on ethics and culture in
Europe, America and south-east Asia, but countries, mainly in Africa, eastern
Europe, Russia, North Korea, South America and Central Asia have a long way to
go before the digital revolution play the necessary role in their lives,
societies and their personal account or national economy.
The opportunities opened
around the world through the Internet must be adapted to LDC and developing
country requirements by the countries and the UN. This is hard to ask for than
its achievement, since the majority of LDC governments agree with the ITU
guidelines on the transition from LDC to ‘Digital C’.
THE INTERNATIONAL
TRADE CENTRE – a cooperation
between UNCTAD and WTO has highlighted the five stepping stones to make
countries e-competitive:
1.
Legal Framework- Create trust in the mechanics of e-trade (electronic
signatures, copyrights, consumer protection, consumer privacy and dispute
resolution); reinforcement of international competitiveness (tax laws); and
that countries must not overregulate since it creates technological bias and
unforeseen barriers.
2.
E-government-Give citizens online information and transaction
services; make the public-sector efficiency and transparency- will induce firms
to become e-competent.
3.
Financial Access- For the public sector, to develop telecommunications
infrastructure and for “bricks and mortar” firms that wish to invest in
computers and e-trade capabilities.
4.
Education and Training- Exploring
public-private initiatives; for example, IT corporations may have training
institutes that can be adapted to other uses. Reconsidering the role of ISPs,
Internet cafés and community centres.
5.
Internet Access- Making fixed telephones and Internet connection
cheaper and easier.
STRIKING MEDIA
GIANTS ON THE WEB
Coverage of the World
Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland by the media worldwide while there
was little or no money, time and space for adverts of the World Social Forum
(WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The organizers of the WEF
had the support of the UN, the WTO, delegates from more than 150 countries and
thousands of businesses. The present state of technological development in the
LDCs and developing countries where more participants were expected to attend.
Organizers of the WSF in Porto Alegre were expecting 2,000 people to attend a
debate on “another possible world” in the last week of January. To their
surprise, this “anti-Davos” attracted 5,000 participants because of a website
set up one month before the Forum. This is a proof that adverts on and through
the Internet are more effective than TV adverts in the developing world where
regulations is an effective form of prevention.
MAIN ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES
The Independent Member
States of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (Antigua and Barbuda,
The Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines.
All members of the OECS
are small island economies and their combined population is 425, 000 people. In
1999, their combined GDP amounted to US$2,169.34m and their economies share of
world exports was approximately 0.0061%. Banana, the largest mechandise
exported by the economies account for a mere 0.86% of world exports of that
commodity.
The OECS comments after
the review of its trade policy by the WTO: We see it as an exercise in inventory taking and our trade policy
regulations which would lay the basis for transparency in our dealings with
international economic agents. The exercise could not have come at a more
opportune moment since the Eastern Caribbean states are in the process of
articulating a comprehensive economic development strategy. We have learnt a
great deal from the exercise so far.
THE TRANSITION TO
AN EQUAL WORLD
The conclusions of NGOs
and individuals have a special character, transition to an equal world,
however, it is directly opposite the companies, government and UN position on
the 21st century development strategies which are different from the
strategies employed to bring countries around the world back to life after the
Second World War. Furthermore, the distinct mid-20th century versus
21st century strategies which has become worse as countries become
poorer while companies rake in more profits. On paper, the ever-changing
strategies have shown no progress at all.
On the NGO side, calls for
a more equitable world in social and economic terms must be used to review
everything from UNCTAD proposals to the World Trade Organization TRIPs
Agreement.
The WTO, companies and
countries are ready to defend their steps. Sometimes, what is expected from
companies as hand-outs to poor countries is marred in controversy, thereby
losing its aim or propaganda: TO HELP LDCs. Pfizer's latest hand-out has been
termed 'a publicity stunt' by NGOs.
PRICING AND
FINANCING OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS
Making life-saving
medicines more affordable for poor countries is vital for improving public
health. In particular, "differential pricing" - companies charging
different prices in different markets according to purchasing power - is a
feasible means of achieving this, provided certain conditions are met.
At a WHO/WTO Workshop on
Pricing and Financing of Essential Drugs held from 9 to 11 April 2001 in
Hǿsbjǿr, Norway, organized jointly by The World Health Organization,
World Trade Organization, Norwegian Foreign Ministry and Global Health Council,
a broad-based US organization in the healthcare field, this, according to the
WTO press release issued after the workshop was a widely held view among the
participants - a diverse group of 80 experts from 21 countries and a wide range
of professional backgrounds.
The similarities in expert
thought on issues affecting LDCs was evident at the 3rd UN Conference
on LDCs in Brussels, however, anti-globalization organizations’ call for a more
equitable world by all means necessary may have to wait for 'the distant
future' even if 'such conditions' creating differential pricing in the
developed and developing world are met, especially when the government and
people living in developing have a lot to learn, do and experience before the
UN LDC economies reconstruction programmes fall in line with more progressive
ideas at more costs to the establishment and away from what non-LDC experts
think about the behaviour of LDC economies and societies.
TRIPS-Trade Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
Harvey Bale, the
director-general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA) is a leading advocate of the multinational
pharmaceutical companies views on cheaper drugs and access to these drugs in
poor countries. He said that the whole negotiations under the TRIPS agreement
on price-related issues and intellectual property issues at the WTO must
continue. Brazil and India have big indigenous pharmaceutical industries
standing up against the weight of the bigger multinationals.
At a press conference held
on 19 June in the UN Office at Geneva, Switzerland, Bale said that the NGOs
tend to criticize everything the pharmaceutical companies do.
In an interview published
in Scrip- Magazine of World Pharmaceutical News, Bale argues that the
driver of the TRIPS debate at the WTO is not so much concern for the people in
Africa – they have been dying there for decades without arousing much anger in
the developed world, he points out – but concern in countries such as India and
Brazil about the impact of TRIPS on their domestic pharmaceutical industries.
It is obvious that there
is a strong Pharma industry position against poor countries and the sick people
living there, and that the industry’s position is the same as that of the WTO.
The WTO claims as an ‘arbitration council’ which is also trying to help poor
countries is now in doubt, though it denies the allegations. But whatever the
industry, the UN and the WTO does to help tackle AIDS, diabetes, heart disease
etc. anywhere in the world, it will take a long time before their public
relations improve. Many people feel that questions and answers about profits
and intellectual property debates are irrelevant when we consider the plight of
people living in least developed countries.
The position of ‘Campaign
for Access to Essential Medicines’ led by Medicine Without Borders, (recipient of
the 1999 Nobel Peace Price), Oxfam and the Third World Network held another
press conference on June 19 at the United Nations in Geneva after the IFPMA
briefing. Their concern is shared by all the developing countries: that the
TRIPS Agreement will lead to further price increases. Many countries and
organizations
In
GLOBALIZATION AND
THE LDCs
Globalization, a dominant
force in the 20th century last decade is shaping a new era of
interaction among countries, economies, people and organizations. It is increasing
the contacts between people across national boundaries- in economy, in
technology, in culture and in governance. There has been benefits or other
consequences of this contact between companies and organizations at this ‘high
level’.
It is fragmenting
production processes, labour markets, political entities and societies. In a
way, it has made life better as well as miserable in the LDCs. It is this
adverse effect on the LDCs that critics and advocates of globalzation seem to
agree on.
During the 3rd
UN Conference on LDCs, many participants had a good day or a bad one when
business-people and NGOs from the LDCs talk about the effects of globalization
on the ground in their poor countries. These business-people, especially
exporters say that things will get better if the EU-US-Japanese market bloc is
open to all of their exports. The NGOs contend that a few randomly chosen
success or made-up success stories from the LDCs by the UN at the conference
does not present the true story.
THE 8TH
WORLD SUMMIT OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
The 8th World
Summit of Young Entrepreneurs was held as a parallel event to the LDC
conference, and was opened the Secretary General of UNCTAD who is also the
Secretary General of the conference on LDCs, Mr. Rubens Ricupero, and the
Executive Director of the Institute for Leadership Development. The World
Summit of Young Entrepreneurs grew out of an initiative by the Institute for
Leadership at York University, Toronto. The summit has been effective in the
way it was intended, to promote networking, facilitate joint venture
opportunities and growth of businesses among young entrepreneurs from around
the world.
Participants in the 8th
World Summit included 251 entrepreneurs from about 27 LDCs, as well as from
Canada, China, France, Georgia, India, Morocco, Russian Federation, United
Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.
LAUNCHING OF THE
WORLD TRADE UNIVERSITY (WTU)
The launching of the WTU
provides an opportunity for many international organizations and countries to
reaffirm future collaboration in line with UN and WTO trade guidelines. These
international organizations include UNCTAD, WTO, the International Trade Centre
(ITC), UNDP, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Group of 77.
The WTU will, as of 2003,
begin offering study programmes from two campuses – Canada and China – and
introduce online education programmes. 15 other country campuses are scheduled
to follow after 2003.
The government of Hong
Kong, China had donated approximately US$600million to help finance WTO
technical assistance activities in developing countries.
SOLVING THE FOOD
PROBLEM IN THE LDCs: New African Rice
The West African Rice
Development Association (WARDA), supported by UNDP and other partners has
developed new rice varieties that can yield up to 50 per cent larger crops
without fertilizer.
The new rice known by the
acronym NERICA (New Rice for Africa), is a result of crossing African and Asian
species. It matures 30-50 days earlier than the currently grown varieties.
NEW DELIVERABLES AND
EXTRACTING CONCESSIONS
This conference has
bequeathed us with a new range of ‘development speak’. This is a completely new
language because it has been used in UN, EU, OAU, ASEAN conferences to describe
concepts, projects, programmes and initiatives. The ITU issues a ‘glossary of
terms’ frequently. None was issued at this conference.
The Interactive Thematic
Session sought to provide “DELIVERABLES” for the LDCs who said that the first
initiative they need is an “EXPANDED HIPC” to ensure their “GOOD GOVERNANCE”.
In English, this means
that indebted countries said, during the negotiations with creditors- we needed
debt relief in order to govern well.
Ricupero, UNCTAD
Secretary-General put in an appearnce at every Interactive Thematic Session and
extracted concessions from both the LDCs and the ‘development partners’. This
means that Ricupero made sure that both sides say yes and to agree during
discussions at special (country-UN-EU) sessions held during the conference
without any assurance that demands will be met or if countries will hold on to
their objections after the conference is over.
At the conference, any
discussion of “new and additional resources” was outlawed. It means new aid and
loans for poor countries was not part of the agenda, however, deliverables include
the upcoming Fourth World Trade Organization Ministers Meeting in Doha, Qatar
where efforts will be made to launch a new trade round. NGO opposition to a new
trade round which started from the conference in Brussels and gathering its
traditional momentum on the web is guided by the motto ‘No new round, turn
around’ – a call for the reform of trade architecture.
Many documents issued by
NGOs at the conference on the upcoming WTO Ministerial Meeting in Doha, Qatar
identify the double-standards of the UN, US EU and the WTO: meeting in a
country where rights to public assembly, demonstrations and the rights of women
is below the UN Commission on Human Rights ‘requirements’. People arrested for
demonstrating in Qatar could face disastrous consequences.
HAITI or BELGIUM
The conference cost 12
million US dollars to stage in Belgium. Two hundred UN officials were flown
from New York and Geneva to help with logistics; 20, 000 metres of cable were
laid; about 1,800 lunches were served every day. The conference was held for
six days.
The conference should have
been held in Haiti where Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows are only 11
million US dollars a year.
The six days of the
conference on LDCs would have made the biggest and best difference, which will
change the economic and social welfare of Haiti (the only LDC in the Americas),
to developing and making progress.
BURKINA FASO:
The Government of Burkina
Faso, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the
Centre for Development of Enterprise (CDE) based in Brussels have orgnanized an
Investors’ Forum financed by Luxembourg with the support of CDE in Ouagadougou
from 12 to 14 June. The CDE s an ACP-EU institution financed by the European
Development Fund (EDF) under the New Cotonou Partnership Agreement signed on 23
June 2000, bringing together the EU and 77 Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP).
Basically, the CDE aims at supporting the creation, expansion, diversification,
rehabilitation or privatisation of industrial enterprises in ACP countries.
The forum was designed to
give an exceptional opportunity to Burkina Faso under the present unfavourable
economic circumstances in that country. Landlocked Burkina Faso rank among the
countries where the pains of being least developed affect the people more than
others.
THE END AND THE NEXT
MEETING
According to Terraviva, a
daily published by the Inter Press News Agency throughout the conference, the
results of the conference were best characterised by a diplomat from a LDC who
said: “What we really negotiated was the size of the zero.”
Many LDCs need to reshape
their economies and the lives of their citizens. LDC governments must lead the
reform the presentation packages. Changing the zero to one may be a better
priority.
The UN Conference on
Financing for Development will be held in Mexico in March 2002. Most decisions
that may cost money have been put off for this conference- including decisions
on aid, HIV/AIDS, agriculture and debt relief.
SEE YOU AT LEAST
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CONFERENCE IV
The 3rd UN
Conference on LDCs wound up in customary UN tradition; a pledge or oath to meet
again in another venue, another time, another venue, on another theme in
another year or another decade.
The reason why the UN
could afford to go through three conferences and plan for the fourth on LDCs is
clear: there is no end to the problems and solutions to the problems of LDCs.
This initiative help the
country to reduce their debt service y as much as one-third in 5 years,
however, when the debt relief that these countries have taken in benefits from
1996 to 1968 are added up it is equal to 6 to 8 percent of total Oversea
Development Assistance (ODA) received in the first quarter of 1997.