1 April 2025
The third edition of the LDC
Future Forum, which opened on Monday, focusses on how
these 44
nations can better withstand systemic shocks, including
the adverse effects of climate change and other global
crises.
The objective is to develop actionable
solutions that will contribute to sustainable development
and resilience building in these
countries.
Challenges and commitments
The
forum aligns with Priority 5 of the Doha Programme of Action
(DPoA),
a decade-long initiative adopted in 2022 that aims to renew
and strengthen commitments between LDCs and their
development partners.
Priority 5 concerns addressing
climate change, environmental degradation, recovering from
the COVID-19 pandemic
and building resilience against future shocks for
risk-informed sustainable development.
LDC countries
often grapple with limited domestic resources, hindering
their ability to weather economic downturns, natural
disasters and health emergencies, according to the UN Office
of the High Representative for the Least Developed
Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).
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Moreover,
accessing international capital markets is difficult due to
low creditworthiness and perceived risks.
Women’s
voices critical
The forum will feature a High-level
Dialogue focusing on the critical need for financing to
bolster LDCs’ resilience in the face of various
challenges. Special emphasis will be on gender equality as
the participation of women and girls in the discussions will
be critical to developing holistic and inclusive
solutions.
Rabab Fatima, High Representative for the
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries
and Small Island Developing States, highlighted the
significance of the event.
She noted that for the
first time the forum is taking place in an LDC, “offering
a unique opportunity to galvanize global support for the
world’s most vulnerable countries as they navigate the
challenges of an ever-changing global
landscape.”
The forum was organized by UN-OHRLLS
together with the Governments of Finland and Zambia, in
collaboration with the UN University World Institute for
Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the
Foundation for Studies and Research on International
Development (FERDI).
Private sector
participation
Highlights include four thematic
sessions addressing key areas: climate-smart agriculture
practices to improve food security and ensure sustainable
agricultural development, sustainable water and energy
solutions to enhance resilience, circular economy and green
industrialization to promote diversification and resilience
and targeted social protection programs to strengthen
resilience to multiple shocks.
A High-level Dialogue
will focus on financing strategies to support more resilient
economies in LDCs, addressing the critical need for
resources to combat economic instability, natural disasters
and health emergencies.
Additionally, private sector
representatives will participate in a Fireside Chat to
examine how businesses can drive the transition toward a
circular economy, fostering sustainable development and
resilience in LDCs.
Discussions will centre on
strategies for transitioning to a circular economy, building
local capacity and skills, ensuring supply chain
sustainability and promoting women’s participation in
corporate sustainability
planning.
