Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries

Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
Name	Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
Date	2011
Location	Istanbul, Turkey
Participants	United Nations, Least Developed Countries, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Outcome	Istanbul Programme of Action

Contents

Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries The Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries convened in Istanbul in 2011 as a global summit bringing together representatives from United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Economic and Social Council, European Union, African Union and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to renew commitments to the world's Least Developed Countries and to adopt the Istanbul Programme of Action.

Background and objectives

The conference followed precedents set by the Brussels Programme of Action (2001) and by the UN Conference on Trade and Development processes, responding to assessments by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reports, Committee for Development Policy reviews, and resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly to address structural vulnerabilities, World Trade Organization rules, United Nations Development Programme analyses and the Millennium Development Goals agenda. Key objectives were aligned with mandates from the Rio+20 Conference, recommendations of the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence, and policy guidance from International Monetary Fund and World Bank studies to promote resilient growth, structural transformation, and access to Foreign direct investment for Least Developed Countries.

Preparatory processes involved the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, national delegations from capitals including Addis Ababa, Dhaka, Kabul, Hanoi and Nairobi, regional organizations such as the African Union and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and observer organizations like United Nations Development Programme, International Labour Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and World Health Organization. Major bilateral partners attending included delegations from Japan, United States, China, United Kingdom and France, alongside multilateral development banks such as the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank. Civil society inputs were channelled through coalitions including Non-governmental Organization networks, International Trade Union Confederation, Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD and academic institutions such as Harvard University and London School of Economics.

Agenda items emphasized trade expansion under World Trade Organization frameworks, productive capacities influenced by Industrial policy debate, investment promotion consistent with Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency practices, and climate resilience guided by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change outcomes and Green Climate Fund discussions. Other thematic areas included infrastructure financing linked to Bretton Woods institutions priorities, technology transfer framed by World Intellectual Property Organization norms, agricultural development building on Food and Agriculture Organization recommendations, and social protection policies informed by International Labour Organization conventions and World Health Organization guidelines.

The conference produced the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for 2011–2020, endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly and promoted through UNCTAD implementation plans, World Bank partnerships and European Commission cooperation frameworks. The Programme set targets on structural transformation, sustainable development commitments echoed by United Nations Environment Programme, and enhanced market access measures coordinated with World Trade Organization initiatives and International Monetary Fund policy advice. It called for strengthened South–South cooperation as seen in Group of 77 consultations, and emphasized technical assistance from United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and bilateral agencies such as Japan International Cooperation Agency and United States Agency for International Development.

Financing measures referenced in deliberations included mobilization of resources via International Development Association windows, concessional lending from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, public–private partnerships modeled on Private Infrastructure Development Group experience, and leveraging of remittance flows analyzed by the World Bank. Donor commitments were framed within Official development assistance debates involving the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Development Assistance Committee and bilateral pledges from United Kingdom Department for International Development, Agence Française de Développement, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Innovative financing proposals drew on instruments promoted by the Global Fund and the Green Climate Fund.

Implementation arrangements relied on monitoring by UNCTAD, reporting to the United Nations General Assembly and review by the Economic and Social Council, with technical backstopping from United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and policy inputs from the Committee for Development Policy. Progress indicators were intended to align with Sustainable Development Goals targets, statistical support from the United Nations Statistics Division and capacity-building via United Nations Institute for Training and Research and regional commissions such as United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Peer review mechanisms referenced experiences from OECD peer assessments and International Monetary Fund Article IV consultations.

Reactions to the conference came from national capitals including Dhaka, Kathmandu, Pretoria and Port-au-Prince, from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and from civil society organizations like Oxfam International and Save the Children. Analyses by UNCTAD, UNDP and academic centres at London School of Economics and Columbia University assessed mixed progress toward targets, noting advances in trade facilitation, infrastructure projects funded by Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank, but persistent challenges highlighted by International Labour Organization reports and World Health Organization statistics. The Istanbul outcomes continue to inform successor frameworks and negotiations in United Nations General Assembly sessions and in discussions around the Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

Category:United Nations conferences Category:2011 in international relations