Press Release No. G/44/2000
10 November 2000

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)---Despite average increase in growth rates, the Asian and Pacific least developed countries (LDCs) still remain extremely vulnerable to external economic and social shocks and natural disasters.

Out of 13 LDCs in the region, only five countries have managed to cross the figure of US$ 900 per capita income, a figure that has been recently used as one of the criteria for reviewing the list of LDCs. The other countries are still far below this level.

"ESCAP’s calculations show that if these countries maintain the rate of growth observed in the past decade, none will be able to reach the threshold within the next decade. Bhutan and Lao PRD would require about 20 years; Bangladesh about 25 years; Cambodia, Myanmar and Nepal will not be in the position to reach the benchmark before the middle of this century," says Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

High level representatives from over 27 member and associate member countries of ESCAP, as well as representatives from other United Nations agencies are expected to try to find solutions to the continuing plight of the "poorest of the poor countries."

The meeting is jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh from 13 to 15 November 200 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

LDCs are at a crossroad. The Programme of Action for the LDCs for the 1990’s has just ended and the strategy for the next Programme of Action is being formulated. "It is crucial that the vital concerns of LDCs in Asia and the Pacific region are duly reflected in the forthcoming Programme of Action," says ESCAP Executive Secretary Mr. Kim Hak-Su.

Within the broad theme of “Socio-economic Development Challenges of Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries for the New Millenium”, participants will consider four key areas: 1) social issues; 2) economic infrastructure; 3) trade issues; and 4) financing development. The discussions will focus around identifying the common issues, priority and constraints of the LDCS, and recommendations will be formulated for addressing future challenges through more effective national actions as well as stronger international cooperation.

During 1990-98 the real GDP for the Asian and Pacific LDCs as a group on average grew at around 4.5 percent per annum, but with large variations among the countries from less than one per cent to over 8 per cent for individual countries.

The persistent high incidence of poverty, poor institutional capacity, inadequate human resources, low levels of economic and export diversification and inadequate infrastructure melded with significant external debt burden and decreased inflow of official development assistance (ODA) have coerced LDCs generally to be the weakest segment of the international community.

"All these predicaments combined with the challenges of globalization and rapidly increasing digital divide can further marginalize and, indeed retard the process of much needed integration of these less fortunate nations into the global economic system into the new millenium," said an ESCAP spokesman.

Against the above backdrop, the Third United Nations Global Conference on the Least Developed which will be held at Brussels in May 2001 will provide a major occasion for all 48 LDCs worldwide and their development partners to formulate a programme of action to address the particular predicaments and needs of LDCs for the decade of 2000s.

The Report of the Meeting will be the main regional input towards the formulation of a Global Programme of Action for Least developed Countries.

For further information in Bangladesh, please contact:

Mr. M. Aynul Hasan, Chief of LDCs Section, Development Research and Policy Analysis Division, ESCAP, c/o Conference venue: The Pan Pacific Sonargaon, 107 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh, tel. No. (880-2) 811-1005.

Mr. David Lazarus, Chief, United Nations Information Services Bangkok, ESCAP, United Nations Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Tel: (66 2) 288 1866 Fax: (66 2) 288 1052, Email: unisbkk.unescap@un.org.