Press Release

In Nepal’s capacity as the chair of the group of the least developed countries (LDCs), Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Mr. Madhu Raman Acharya addressed the opening session of the General Debate of the Second Committee of 64th Session of General Assembly in New York today. Speaking at the Second Committee plenary, he highlighted the problems faced by the least developed countries and urged the international community to carry out special measures to resolve these difficulties. He mentioned that the multiple challenges of economic crisis, food security and climate change had caused an immense impact on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). These global crises have posed a serious challenge to the fight against poverty and threatened the achievement of the MDGs in the LDCs, he added.  

Mr. Acharya underscored an internationally supported special rescue package for the LDCs in the face of current economic and financial crisis that have severely hit their trade, tourism, remittances, jobs, debt servicing and investment. He also emphasized the need to seriously implement the Brussels Programme of Action for 2001-10, agreed as an international compact in the remaining period.  

Mr. Acharya also called for a special attention to the vulnerabilities and needs of the least developed countries for adaptation, mitigation and financial and technological resources while sealing the deal in Copenhagen. He further emphasized on the needs to look after the LDCs which are small islands and which are in ice-melting zones of the Himalayas. He also laid emphasis on the concerted preparatory process in the run-up to the Fourth Conference of the Least Developed Countries to be held in 2011 in Turkey.  

Stating that global food crisis that was still haunting peoples in many least developed countries, Mr. Acharya said that the problem needed to be addressed both in the short-term with increased food supply and in the long-term through sustainable agricultural development. The World Food Summit to be held in Rome in November this year should be used as an opportunity to addressing the current weaknesses of the institutions, trading practices and policies to address the vulnerability of hungry people, he said.

Mr. Acharya also stressed the urgent necessity to re-launch and complete the stalled Doha round of WTO negotiations and implementation of the agreed duty-free-quota-free access to the products of the least developed countries in the markets of the developed countries. He underlined the necessity to widen the squeezing development space for the least developed countries and added that the outcome of the Doha conference on financing for development should be sincerely implemented.  

Finally, Mr. Acharya pledged to closely working together with partners and stakeholders for tackling the current challenges.    

Permanent Mission of Nepal to

the United Nations

New York

October 5, 2009