UN chief blasts rich nations for trapping poor in ‘vicious cycle’, designing systems for self benefit

Fifth UN Conference on the world's Least Developed Countries, known as LDC5, kicked off on Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha and will conclude on Thursday (March 9). UN and other partners have gathered to deliver to support the countries whose vulnerabilities the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the most.

Ahead of the conference, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the rich nations for creating a“perfect storm”for poor states by their "vicious" tactics and employing financial designs largely for their own benefit.

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He urged the international community to step up and help the more than 1.1 billion people in these countries and lift them out of poverty. “Countries with the least need support the most. And you need it now. You represent one in eight people on earth. But your countries are trapped in vicious cycles that make development difficult, if not impossible,” Guterres told the Summit in Doha, Qatar.

The LDC Summit is normally held every 10 years but was twice postponed since 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Over the next five days in Doha, government leaders and other stakeholders are set to assess the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA), adopted at a precursor UN conference held in Türkiye in 2011, and mobilise additional international support and action for the world’s 46 least developed countries.

In his welcoming remarks atthe LDC Summit, the UN chief stressed that the cost of living was becoming increasingly difficult due to the war in Ukraine, resulting in higher energy and food prices.

“For your countries, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — starting with the eradication of extreme poverty and ending hunger — is about more than lines on a chart leading to 2030,” the Secretary-General said.

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“It’s a matter of life and death and it is unacceptable if you are held back by processes and decisions that are made far beyond your borders.”

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development across a range of indexes.

“You risk being left behind in the digital revolution without the support or technology you need for social and economic development or job-creation,” he said, calling for an end to the conditions that have left vulnerable countries facing a “perfect storm.”

“Ending this (perfect) storm for perpetuating poverty and injustice...requires massive, sustained investment,” he explained, and stressed that the global financial system had been designed by wealthy countries, “largely to their benefit”.

All LDCs have a gross national per capita income (GNI) of below USD$1,018; compare that to almost $71,000 in the United States, $44,000 in France, $9,900 in Turkey and $6,530 in South Africa according to data from World Bank.

There are currently 46 LDCs, the vast majority of which are in Africa. The list is reviewed every three years by the UN Economic and Social Council. Six countries have graduated from LDC status between 1994 and 2020.

More than other countries, LDCs are at risk of deepening poverty and remaining in a situation of underdevelopment. They are also vulnerable to external economic shocks, natural and man-made disasters, communicable diseases and crucially climate change.

(With inputs from agencies)

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