The least developed countries in the world are counting on the Fifth United Nations Conference, which will be held in Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, with a large participation of heads and leaders of governments of 33 African countries and 12 from Asia and the Pacific and Haiti.
The State of Qatar is considered one of the largest donors and supporters of the least developed countries, and it is hosting this year’s conference under the slogan "From potential to prosperity".
A number of heads of state participating in the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries affirmed that the Doha Action Program will contribute to reducing poverty rates, facing many challenges, and achieving the aspired goals for achieving sustainable development, growth and prosperity in the least developed countries, stressing the need to enhance productivity, support investment and provide Educational grants for students in less developed countries to achieve social justice and protect the right to education, according to the Qatar News Agency "Qena".
The United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries convenes every 10 years, and this year’s meeting – the fifth of its kind – will focus on putting the needs of the 46 least developed countries at the forefront of the global agenda and supporting them in efforts to return to the path of sustainable development.
The United Nations states on its website that there are 5 things to know about the world’s least developed countries.
First: What is the least developed country?
The least developed countries, on the list of the United Nations, are those that show the lowest indicators of social and economic development across a range of indicators.
The per capita gross national income in these countries is less than $1,018; Compared to about $71,000 in the United States, according to World Bank data.
These countries score poorly in indicators of nutrition, health, school enrollment, and reading and writing skills.
At the same time, it scores high in the indicators of economic and environmental vulnerability, which measures factors such as geographical distance, in addition to dependence on agriculture and risks of exposure to natural disasters.
The list of least developed countries currently includes 46 countries, including 5 Arab countries, the vast majority of which are located in Africa. The list is reviewed every 3 years by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Six countries graduated from the least developed country category between 1994 and 2020.
Second: What are the challenges facing the least developed countries?
About 1.1 billion people live in the least developed countries – 14% of the world’s population – and more than 75% of these people still live in poverty.
LDCs are more at risk of exacerbating poverty and being left behind in progress, and are vulnerable to external economic shocks, natural and man-made disasters, infectious diseases and climate change.
The planet’s temperature is now on track to rise by about 2.7°C during this century, which could lead to catastrophic effects in the least developed countries. Although these countries contribute only a small amount to carbon emissions, they face some of the greatest risks from climate change.
Debt is a major problem for all LDCs: 4 of them are classified as in debt distress (Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, and Sudan) and 16 of them are at high risk of debt distress. Thus the least developed countries require the highest level of attention from the international community.
Third: How can the United Nations help the least developed countries?
The efforts of the United Nations aimed at changing the increasing marginalization of the least developed countries in the global economy, and placing them on the path of sustainable growth and development, date back to the late 1960s.
The International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade of the 1970s included special measures for the least developed countries, including: – Financing development efforts, particularly grants and loans from donors and financial institutions. A multilateral trading system, such as preferential market access and private transactions. – Technical support, in particular for mainstreaming trade (EIF).
The first Conference of the Least Developed Countries was held in Paris, France in 1981, and the fifth conference was scheduled to be held on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary in March 2022, but it was postponed to the current year due to the outbreak of the Corona virus.
Fourth: What is expected from the Fifth United Nations Conference in Doha?
The United Nations, Least Developed Countries, Heads of State and Government, development partners, the private sector, civil society, parliamentarians and youth come together to agree on partnerships, commitments, innovations and plans in an effort to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.
Six countries graduated from the least developed country category: Botswana (1994), Cape Verde (2007), Maldives (2011), Samoa (2014), Equatorial Guinea (2017) and Vanuatu (2020).
Fifth: List of Least Developed Countries:
The following 46 countries are listed as least developed countries by the United Nations (list updated to March 2023):
Africa includes 33 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali , Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.
Asia includes 9 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, East Timor and Yemen.
There is only one country in the Caribbean, Haiti.
The Pacific region includes three countries: Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
