PACIFIC CIVIL SOCIETY DECLARATION ON LDCs and MDGs

5 August 2010

Convened in Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu, parallel to the Pacific Islands Forum Summit from 3 – 6 August 2010, the Pacific Civil Society Assembly is part of the regional preparation towards the UN Global Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in New York in September 2010 and the Fourth UN Conference on  Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Istanbul in May 2011;

We acknowledge the organizing of this Assembly by LDC Watch, in association with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) and the United Nations Office of the High Representative of the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Islands States (OHRLLS);

Assessing Development Challenges in the Pacific Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Reviewing the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) towards the MDG Summit and the Fourth UN Conference on LDCs (LDC IV)

Aug 3-6, Vanuatu Provident Fund Conference Centre
Port Villa, Vanuatu

Of the 49 current LDCs in the world, 5 are in the Pacific – Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. They are some of the smallest nations in the LDC group, with populations ranging from 10,000 to 500,000. These Pacific LDCs are geographically distant from each other, and from the rest of the world. Pacific regional cooperation has been very active for the past 50 years. There are at least 10 inter-governmental regional organizations active in the Pacific, and their programs are aimed to cover all of the 8 MDGs – regional programs in economic policies and trade, in education, health, water and sanitation, environment, gender/women, governance, and in coordination and partnership.

Attachments:

Pacific Regional Consultation Concept Note

Pacific Regional Consultation Tentative Programme

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UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK, 30 JUNE 2010

Madame Moderator, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I thank you very much for the opportunity to share my thoughts in this very important panel discussion on behalf of LDC Watch in this policy dialogue on achieving the MDGs by 2015. LDC Watch believes that while reviewing the progress made on the Millennium Declaration at the High Level Plenary in September 2010, progress and setbacks made on the MDGs in the LDCs need to be assessed separately. This is because while the situation in other developing countries may be improving, conditions in LDCs are likely to deteriorate in this decade. Further, we need to break down national data by specific populations - to look at the progress of marginalised groups and not just overall progress. We also need to find ways to measure progress in Human Rights and Gender Justice to accompany the social and economic progress reflected in the MDGs.

STATEMENT BY DR. ARJUN KARKI, INTERNATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR, AT THE SIDE EVENT ON ENHANCING ODA FOR LDCS’ DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION, DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION FORUM

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK, 30 JUNE 2010

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank the organisers for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of LDC Watch. As you are aware, LDC Watch has been leading the mobilisation and consolidation of LDC civil society inputs towards its interventions at the Fourth UN Conference on LDCs (LDC IV) in 2011, aiming to produce a pro-poor next-generation LDC development agenda together with all stakeholders in this process.

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