– As delivered –
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
17 September 2021
Excellencies and distinguished delegates,
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this discussion. I would like to commend the Republic of Malawi for organizing this meeting and for their chairing of the LDCs Global Coordination Bureau.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the Government of Qatar for hosting the upcoming Fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs.
The Doha Programme of Action will be an essential tool for LDCs going forward and I look forward to working with each of you to make this a success.
The pandemic has made it clear that there is an urgent need to rethink how we do trade, financing, and development. Clearly, we must do more to strengthen multilateral and international financial systems, and address the crippling debt that holds back so many LDCs.
Excellencies,
The conclusion of the Istanbul Program of Action included a record number of graduations, as countries saw improvement in access to water and sanitation, health, and gender equality, just to name a few.
Yet, despite progress, a significant number of goals and priorities of the Istanbul Program of Action remain unmet.
It is imperative that a new and transformative Programme of Action is secured at Doha in 2022. It is likewise important that the unmet goals and priorities of Istanbul are incorporated in this agenda.
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Excellencies,
The Presidency of Hope promised in my vision statement and outlined at the opening of the session, is a blueprint to how the 76th session will work to strengthen action and delivery on behalf of the people we serve.
This includes ‘five rays of hope’ that align with the concerns of the international community and the challenges faced by LDCs at this very critical moment in time.
This includes:
–??????? Harnessing the potential of vaccines and bringing this lifesaving tool to the entirety of the human population.
–??????? Recovering sustainably and turning what has been a global tragedy into an opportunity to jumpstart sustainable development.
–??????? Tackling the climate crisis and building resilience.
–??????? Upholding the standards of human rights and standing hand-in-hand with the peoples of the world.
–??????? And rekindling support for, and faith in, the multilateral system.
Underscoring many of these issues – whether on vaccines, or climate adaptation or sustainable development – is access to finance.
The pandemic has made it clear that there is an urgent need to rethink how we do trade, financing, and development.
Clearly, we must do more to strengthen multilateral and international financial systems, and address the crippling debt that holds back so many LDCs.
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Excellencies,
It is encouraging to note that since the adoption of the Istanbul Program of Action in 2011, four countries have graduated, including my own.
Yet, struggles and delays for LDCs to sustainably graduate remain. This must be addressed with clearer and more sustainable graduation pathways.
The recent recommendation of the Committee for Development Policy, and ECOSOC, on an extended preparatory period, may be helpful in that regard.
On both graduation processes, as well as on the need to address financing, I will rely upon the advice of a Board of Advisers on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, which was begun during the 75th Session. I trust that those of you here today will support my advisers to that end.
Colleagues, we have much to do, and all of these issues will not be resolved during the 76th session. Yet, I am certain that together we can make meaningful progress and move the needle in the right direction.
I thank you again for this opportunity to speak and I look forward to our collective discussions.
Thank you.