Press Release 

Nepal has been elected chairman of the group of 49 Least Developed Countries.

A decision to this effect was taken during the Ministerial Meeting of the group held in New York today. Following the  election, Hon. Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala took charge of the chair of the group from Dr. Dipu Moni, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. Nepal has been elected to the chair of the group of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the next three years.

Present in the meeting were the Ministers and representatives from the least developed countries. UN High Representative of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Permanent Representative of Nepal Mr. Madhu Raman Acharya, Foreign Secretary Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya and Advisor to the Foreign Minster Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the meeting after assuming the chair, Hon. Foreign Minister Koirala stressed on the collective effort of the group of Least Developed Countries. Stating the current critical and multiple challenges such as economic crisis, food security and climate change, the Foreign Minister underscored the necessity to appropriately addressing the interests, concerns and aspirations of the LDCs. The Foreign Minister further stated that the LDCs were at the receiving end of the issues and their success depended largely on how strongly the group took forward common issues and how it ensured delivery on the promises made collectively. The Foreign Minister emphasized on the excellent preparation and successful conclusion of the Fourth LDC Conference to be held in 2011 in Turkey with concrete and focused deliverables. She underlined the need of active engagement by the UN agencies, the development partners and all other stakeholders in that process.

Hon. Foreign Minister Koirala conducted the LDC Ministerial Meeting as a Chair. The meeting adopted a ministerial declaration calling for enhanced level of support for LDCs. Similarly, the declaration calls for early and effective implementation of Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA), special support for LDCs in the face of current global financial, economic and food crises, impact of climate change, and their structural vulnerabilities. The declaration reaffirms its commitment to spearhead efforts to prepare for the effective outcome of the coming Fourth LDC Conference.

Concluding the Ministerial Meeting, Hon. Foreign Minister Koirala expressed Nepal’s commitment to purse the group’s interest in the coming days.

  

Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations

New York

29 September 2009