India LDC Ministerial Conference: Delhi Declaration

The Foreign Ministers of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and India attended the India-LCD Ministerial Conference on Harnessing the Positive Contribution of South-South Cooperation for Development of least developed countries in New Delhi during 18-19 February 2011 to foster and further strengthen their mutually reinforcing development partnership, solidarity and commitment to socio-economic advancement of the LDCs. The conference was organised in cooperation with UN-OHRLLS to develop meaningful inputs for the Fourth UN-LDC Conference (UN-LDC IV) to be held in Istanbul from 9-13 May 2011. The highlights of the conference are as following:

• India-LDC Conference called upon the international community to express its highest political commitment in support of the Istanbul Program of Action and to the successful and ambitious outcome of the Fourth UN-LDC Conference.

• India-LDC conference underscored that the interconnected and globalized world has made it essential for the international community to accord its highest priority to the cause of LDCs to ensure global peace, security and prosperity; and urge that the Istanbul Conference must galvanize global action in support of the development needs of LDCs, whose progress would bring greater global growth and opportunities for all. The LDCs’ perspective must be taken into account while making decisions on global economic governance.

• India-LDC conference underlined that addressing extreme poverty, building productive capacity through structural transformation, spurring economic growth, enhancing participation in international trade and building resilience against vulnerabilities are key development challenges of the LDCs.

• The conference noted with concern that international efforts so far have lacked a comprehensive approach to effectively address the challenges faced by the LDCs, evident in the number of LDCs having increased from 25 in 1971 to 48 in 2011, and press for strengthening of international support mechanisms in favour of LDCs to augment their resources, productive capacity, institutional strength and policy space to lead their respective national development processes; and in this regard call for augmenting ODA, South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation for a comprehensive implementation of the Istanbul Program of Action.

• The conference called for an ambitious Istanbul Program of Action that aims to get at least 50% of LDCs at the threshold of graduation by 2020.

• The conference underscored the need to have a strong in-built review mechanism in the Istanbul Program of Action for monitoring and evaluating progress and to provide a smooth and effective transition to graduating countries.

 • The conference noted with satisfaction the increase in South-South Cooperation and South-South trade and investment flows and its positive impact on the LDCs’ development process and commit to further strengthening this partnership, which we see as a complement, and not a substitute to North-South cooperation.

• The conference noted that the Nairobi outcome document of the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, the Marrakech Framework for the Implementation of South-South Cooperation and the Yamoussoukro Consensus on South-South Cooperation constituted a comprehensive framework for continuing efforts by developing countries to resolve their shared problems and acknowledged the various national, sub-regional and regional initiatives to promote South-South cooperation and called for greater dialogue and exchange of experiences to increase their coherence.

• The Conference acknowledged the need to reinvigorate the United Nations development system in supporting and promoting South-South cooperation, and to this effect urge the United Nations funds, programs and specialized agencies to take concrete measures to mainstream support for South-South and triangular cooperation to help developing countries, at their request, to develop capacities to maximize the benefits and impact of South-South and triangular cooperation in order to achieve their national development goals and internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

• The Conference emphasized that promoting economic growth is fundamental to reducing poverty and attaining the Millennium Development Goals and in this regard note the importance of creating a domestic environment conducive to growth of private enterprise and attracting foreign direct investment in LDCs.

  
• The conference expressed deep concern at the precarious state of global food security including food price volatility and inflation and its destabilizing impact on the LDCs, and call for bringing about an agricultural revolution in LDCs to achieve self-sufficiency in food.

• The Conference reaffirmed their commitment to promoting access to energy and strengthening energy security to reduce poverty and meet other development challenges in LDCs.

• The conference noted that the share of LDCs in global trade in spite of the Duty Free Quota Free scheme extended by development partners continues to be around 1%, we appeal to countries to address the bottlenecks in the program including stringent rules of origin, complex procedures and supply side constraints to enable LDCs to have a greater share in global trade.

• The conference called for an early conclusion of the DOHA Round with a development based outcome to allow meaningful integration of the LDCs in the multilateral trading network.

• The Conference underscored the significance of science and technology, research and innovation in stimulating development in the LDCs and in this regard called upon developed countries to facilitate transfer of technology to LDCs to support science & technology initiatives.
Citing the success of the India- Africa E-Network, mobile telephony, mobile-banking and renewable energy programs in LDCs, we appreciate that technological leapfrogging has brought immense socio-economic gains and also opened vast opportunities for addressing developmental challenges in LDCs. 

• Deeply concerned at the debt situation of several LDCs, the conference strongly appealed for the creation a debt sustainability framework for LDCs to address their systemic vulnerabilities and to build resilience in their economies.

• The conference recognized that Climate Change presented a major threat to livelihoods in developing countries, particularly in LDCs and other vulnerable countries and pledge to work together to take forward the Cancun agreements to find effective solutions based on the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities.

• The conference called for immediate disbursement of fast start funds agreed under Cancun Agreements to the LDCs and special allocation of resources under the Green Climate Fund for LDCs along with transfer of environmentally sound technologies to LDCs to meet their urgent adaptation and mitigation needs. The conference urged the parties to urgently reach agreement on the design of the Fund and the measures to significantly scale-up long-term financing for meeting mitigation and adaptation needs in developing countries in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

• The Conference thanked the participation of Turkey, Finland, Australia, Hungary, Slovenia, China, United States of America, Germany, Croatia, Georgia European Union, Italy, France, UNDP and UNCTAD as Observers in the Conference.

• The Ministers and Representatives of LDCs and other participants at the Conference welcomed and thanked the Government of India for announcing new initiatives in support of the development needs of LDCs comprising 5 additional slots annually under the Indian Economic and Technical Cooperation (ITEC) Program to each LDC; US$ 5million over the next five years for follow-up activities of the Istanbul Program of Action; and a Line of Credit of US$ 500 million over the next five years to be used specifically for projects and programmes of Least Developed Countries.

• The Ministers and Representatives of LDCs thanked the Government of India for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements made for hosting the India-LDC Ministerial Conference and for India’s continued commitment and support to the cause of the LDCs.