Last week, Dhaka hosted Asia-Pacific Dialogue on LDCs as part of preparation of the 4th UN Conference on LDCs in Islanbul, Turkey next year. But the two-day entire exercise remained essentially limited to government-to-government discourse without taking on board the broader stakeholders from civil society, NGOs and private sector. LDC Watch President Dr Arjun K Karki was the only representative of the global civil society in the conference, besides representatives of a few NGOs essentially toeing the official lines of donors support.

BSS, Dhaka

In the global fight against poverty, the international community should move towards working out a 'new deal' to make aid architecture to LDCs more people centric to promote inclusive development under country specific development programme.

President of LDC Watch Dr Arjun Kumar Kirki told BSS on Thursday of the need for reforming the global aid system to build it on a more coordinated approach from donors and recipients sides to make development assistance bringing sustainable development to poorer nations.

LDC Watch extends heartfelt solidarity with the people of Haiti during this tragic time of massive devastation and irrecoverable loss of lives. We are with our friends and colleagues in spirit; particularly remembering our PAPDA comrades and would like to extend our condolences to Camille for the loss in his family as well as to all Haitian people.

In solidarity,

LDC Watch International Secretariat
Kathmandu, Nepal

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

The chair of the 49 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group within United Nations System in Geneva, Switzerland, was formally transferred to Nepal on Monday amidst a ceremony organized by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Press release

Copenhagen, 14 December 2009

Today, civil society organizations from more than 25 least developed countries (LDC) urged the LDC governments not to divide themselves in the issues of climate change at COP15 climate negotiations so that they can arrive at concrete solutions. In a seminar jointly organised by LDC Watch, South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE), JS - APMDD, EquityBD, Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) and MS Action Aid Denmark at Klimaforum09 (people’s alternative summit to COP15, UNFCCC) they argued that LDCs must act together to urge effective mitigation measures and claim adequate funds for reparation adaptation of climate damage from developed/Annex 1 countries. Civil society leaders such as Demba Moussa Dembele of Senegal, Camille Chalmers of Haiti, Azeb Girmai of Ethiopia, Aloys of Rwanda, Kong Sung of  Cambodia, Elisa Pinto of Timor Leste, Saheen Anam of Bangladesh and Netra Timsina from  Nepal had presented testimonies on the impacts on the livelihoods due to climate change in their countries. Dr. Arjun Karki, International Coordinator of LDC Watch had moderated the seminar.