India to host ministers from LDC countries
February 15th, 2011 - 7:23 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) With the campaign for the UN Security Council expansion gathering momentum, India is expected to announce a slew of concessions for the Least Developed Countries from Africa and Asia when it hosts a two-day LDC ministerial conference starting Friday. The conference will be held in cooperation with the UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
The conference will be attended by foreign ministers from over 40 countries and their permanent representatives to the UN and is being held ahead of the fourth conference on LDCs in Istanbul, Turkey, May 9-13.
With the Maldives graduating from LDC in 2010, there are 48 LDCs, which include 33 from Africa and 14 from Asia and Haiti from Latin America.
During the last United Nations review in 2009, the UN defined LDCs as those countries which have a three-year average estimate of gross national income (GNI) per capita of less than $905. Countries with populations over 75 million are excluded.
India is expected to announce duty and quota-free access for more LDC countries and unveil soft loans for a variety of reconstruction projects in the LDC countries.
The conference takes place at a time when India is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and is pushing hard for the expansion of the council in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
- India ups Third World diplomacy, to unveil new measures - Feb 16, 2011
- India to host LDCs ministerial conference - Feb 16, 2011
- World urged to show commitment to poor countries - Feb 19, 2011
- Taj diplomacy to woo LDC ministers - Feb 17, 2011
- India announces $500 mn aid for Least Developed Countries - Feb 18, 2011
- Implement Cancun accords, demand Least Developed Countries - Feb 19, 2011
- India, Africa must stick together: Top UN envoy (Interview, With Image) - Mar 01, 2011
- Delhi Conference wants more international aid to Least Developed Countries - Feb 19, 2011
- India backs modest expansion of UN Security Council - Feb 21, 2011
- G-4 makes joint bid for UNSC expansion - Jan 27, 2012
- India seeks UNSC expansion, suggests key elements of reform - Dec 15, 2010
- Renewed bid for UNSC expansion by India, others (Lead) - Jan 27, 2012
- Senior UN officials urge greater efforts to help the world's poorest countries - Jan 19, 2010
- India, Brazil, Germany, Japan demand UNSC change - Feb 12, 2011
- IBSA calls for urgent UNSC reforms to expand permanent members - Mar 08, 2011
Tags: concessions, developing countries, foreign ministers, free access, gross national income, istanbul turkey, latin america, ldc countries, ldcs, least developed countries, ministerial conference, New Delhi, office of the high representative, per capita, permanent representatives, quota, reconstruction projects, slew, soft loans, un security council