New York, 24 September 2026 ¡ª Ministers and Heads of Delegation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) met in New York on 24 September for the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Least Developed Countries.
This year¡¯s Ministerial Meeting was held under the theme, ¡°From Commitments to Impact: Fast-Tracking Doha Programme of Action Implementation and Sustainable Development Progress in the Least Developed Countries.¡±
The meeting assessed progress in implementing the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022¨C2031, identified remaining gaps and emerging priorities, and looked ahead to the DPoA Midterm Review, to be held in Doha, Qatar, from 25¨C27 March 2027.
The leadership of the LDC Group has changed, with H.E. Mr. Muhammad B.S. Jallow, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, assuming the Chairmanship from the Hon. Shisir Khanal, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, who served as the outgoing Chair of the LDC Group.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Technology Bank¡¯s role reaffirmed
H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, called for greater solidarity to ensure LDCs can participate meaningfully in the AI-driven economy. He highlighted the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Technology Bank as an "operational anchor", supporting LDCs to strengthen scientific capacity, connect researchers and access technologies suited to their priorities. He also called for predictable core funding and a stronger role for the Technology Bank in AI-readiness assessments, shared infrastructure, talent networks and country-led innovation.
¡°LDCs deserve a fair share of the AI dividend. They should not be rule-takers, but co-authors of the technologies and systems shaping our future,¡± said H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, in his address.
As Chair of the LDC Group, Vice President Jallow also highlighted the important role of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries in strengthening science, technology and innovation capacities in LDCs, while supporting productive capacity development and structural economic transformation.
The Declaration also called for greater financial and in-kind support for the Technology Bank, while highlighting the importance of stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector and academia to advance innovation, build inclusive digital economies and facilitate technology transfer.
Call for stronger international support
Persistent development and financing pressures were also high on the agenda. Bilateral official development assistance to LDCs fell by 25.8 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
¡°We reiterate our call to fulfil the longstanding commitment by most developed countries to achieve the targets of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries, and between 0.15 and 0.2 per cent of ODA/GNI to the LDCs,¡± said Chair of the LDC Group, Vice President Jallow during his remarks.
Progress towards graduation
Mr. Jallow also congratulated the 14 LDCs at different stages of the graduation process and commended the Lao People¡¯s Democratic Republic for its commitment to graduate from the LDC category on 24 November 2026.
As LDCs look towards the 2027 DPoA Midterm Review, Ministers called for accelerated action and stronger international support to address remaining development gaps and advance sustainable development across the LDCs.
About the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries was established by the United Nations General Assembly to support Least Developed Countries in strengthening their science, technology and innovation capacities for sustainable development.
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