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.

Madam Chair,

We are concerned that one year has exactly passed since the IPoA was adopted in Istanbul last year in 2011 and its implementation has to be therefore accelerated especially when its global review is scheduled in one year’s time in 2013. Additionally, the review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is also scheduled in 2013 and given that the IPoA is aligned with the MDGs, we continue to reiterate our call NO MDGs WITHOUT LDCs, therefore accelerating the MDGs achievement in LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS is a development emergency!

We continue to reiterate our key call for a fundamental shift from the current dominant failing development paradigm towards a pro-poor and pro-people development paradigm and therefore, the urgency for a bold agenda for the transformation of the global economic system. Poverty, hunger, conflicts and political instability suffered by the peoples of the LDCs have been brought about by long-standing structural inequities and imbalances. In recent years, these burdens have been greatly aggravated by the multiple global crises – financial, food, energy, debt and climate – and compounded by the persistence and even intensification of militarisation and war in many of our countries. These crises are in fact symptoms of the fundamental flaws and injustices of the global economic system that form part of the root causes why LDCs are LDCs. As we had voiced out in our Civil Society Forum Declaration last year at the UN LDC-IV, we have been the Most Exploited Countries!

Madam Chair, 

In closing, we continue to reiterate our call for an inclusive and sustainable development in real terms, by placing the rights of the vulnerable and marginalised people at the forefront of the policy-making and decision-making development processes with stronger mechanisms for transparency, integrity and accountability. The rights of women, children and the youth should be given prime significance. We mean inclusive and sustainable development in real terms that will address and overcome the present rapidly increasing global inequities in terms of economic, social, ecological and democratic justice. 

Thank you for your attention.