Statement by Dr. Arjun Karki, International Co-ordinator, at the 68th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Agenda Item 3a: Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development 

17-23 May 2012, Bangkok 

Madam Chair,

We, representatives of civil society organisations from the Asian Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with collaborative support from LDC Watch and the ESCAP, met here in Bangkok on 15-16 May immediately prior to this 68th session of the ESCAP to jointly come up with our calls to action particularly in the context of the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) for the LDCs for the Decade 2011-2020. We want to bring to your attention that we LDCs are the most marginalised and vulnerable group of countries in this region and therefore, we LDCs should be at the centre of your agenda, deliberations and decisions.