Nepal asks UNCTAD chief to help meet IPoA goals

THT ONLINE

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations Dr. Dinesh Bhattarai recently held discussion with the Secretary General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dr. Supachai Panichtpakdi, on issues related to the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) for the decade 2011-2020, in Geneva.

During the meeting, Dr. Bhattarai underlined the need for the integration of IPoA goals and targets into the UNCTAD strategic plan, cooperation framework, programme and activities for their effective implementation and ensure enhanced and targeted support to LDCs, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

The IPoA was adopted by the recently concluded Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and it has identified the priority areas for actions and outlines goals and targets for the development of LDCs.

Nepal is the current chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the LDCs, a group of 48 poorest countries.

Dr. Bhattarai urged the UNCTAD chief to put IPoA goals and targets at the centre of the preparatory process of the UNCTAD XIII conference that will be held Doha early next year—with the theme of development centred globalisation towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development—and integrate them into the UNCTAD work programme.

UNCTAD XIII is the first major international conference taking place since the adoption of the IPoA for the development of LDCs for the decade 2011-2020.

The UNCTAD provides policy-oriented research and analysis on the LDCs issues and extends technical cooperation among other support.