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Follow-up to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries - Report of the Secretary-General (A/78/112-E/2023/94) [EN/AR/RU/ZH]

Attachments

General Assembly
Seventy-eighth session
Item 21 (a) of the provisional agenda
Groups of countries in special situations

Economic and Social Council
2023 session
Agenda item 11 (b)
25 July 2022–26 July 2023
Implementation of and follow-up to major
United Nations conferences and summits:
review and coordination of the
implementation of the Programme of Action
for the Least Developed Countries for the
Decade 2022–2031

Summary

The present report provides information on the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2022–2031 during its first year and is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 77/177 and Economic and Social Council resolution 2022/19. It provides an overview of recent developments towards reaching the goals and targets of the Doha Programme of Action, as well as recommendations for its full implementation. The underlying data are published on the website of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

I. Investing in people in least developed countries: eradicating poverty and building capacity to leave no one behind Recovering from the coronavirus disease

1. Projected data for 2020 show that the estimated 377 million people living in extreme poverty in the least developed countries represented more than 50 per cent of all people living in extreme poverty across the world. In 2020 alone, 32 million people in the least developed countries were pushed into extreme poverty, increasing the proportion of people living in poverty in these countries as a share of the world total. The social and economic effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will have long-lasting consequences for the development path of the least developed countries as a result of their limited capacity to cope with external shocks, weak health systems, inadequate social protection and limited government support and external assistance. The underlying structural features that constrain the ability of these countries to promote sustainable development also amplify the devastating impact of the pandemic.

Equal participation of women and girls in social, political and economic life

2. National parliaments play a great role in enacting legislation and allocating funds that serve all in order to leave no one behind. Progress in the number of women serving in parliaments in least developed countries is uneven but by 2022, the average number of female parliamentarians had reached 23 per cent. Despite being far below parity, this compared favourably with the global average of 26.5 per cent. Since 2021, some 29 countries have made progress in this area; notably, 3 countries reached 40 per cent and 1 maintained over 60 per cent. However, in five countries, women made up less than 10 per cent of parliamentarians and in one country, women have effectively been removed from the public sphere.

3. Many of the least developed countries displayed a reduction in their adolescent birth rates in recent years, with reductions recording double-digit declines in 25 of the 46 countries. Despite an aggregate decrease of 13 per cent in adolescent birth rates, girls continue to become mothers by age 15 in many of these countries.

4. The average female labour force participation rate in the least developed countries has fluctuated slightly over the years, with a high of 57.08 per cent in both 2019 and 2020. However, the rate remains lower than the global average. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 9 out of 10 workers were in informal employment (88.9 per cent). In the least developed countries, informal employment is a greater source of employment for women (92 per cent) than for men (86.8 per cent). Women in informal employment more often work in the most vulnerable segments of the informal economy, for example as domestic workers, as homeworkers engaged on a piece-rate basis in the lower tiers of the global supply chain or as contributing family workers. They are almost three times more likely to be contributing family workers than men (36.1 per cent and 13.3 per cent, respectively).

5. The share of girls out of school in primary education was 17.89 per cent in 2019 in the least developed countries, almost double the world average of 8.96 per cent.
Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. Access to higher education and training is particularly important for women as they remain underrepresented in political life and in key fields of expertise such as the science and technology sectors. It is vital that women participate equally in decision-making and policymaking in the least developed countries so that they can address challenges in a manner that is effective for all.

Investing in young people and education

6. By 2030 one in five young people in the world will be born in a least developed country. Providing access to quality education, skills and training is essential to help fulfil fundamental human needs that expand an individual’s agency, capabilities and ability to participate as a full member of society.

7. Over a quarter of young people in the least developed countries are neither in education, employment or training; over a third have an unmet need for family planning.

8. In 2022, 21.9 per cent of primary-school-age children were out of school in the least developed countries, more than double the world average. Access to quality education is necessary to promote better human development outcomes and is a crucial factor in addressing the long-term limitations preventing economic growth through higher value-added activities.

9. Enrolment rates in secondary and tertiary education remain stubbornly low. Access to quality higher education or vocational training is particularly important to ensure young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the future. With global climate and governance challenges inevitably shaping societies in the least developed countries, it is essential that young people in these countries contribute to solutions.

10. Young people can accelerate least developed country transformation, but failure to invest in them will stall growth and raise inequality, insecurity and instability. Just as adolescence is a turning point in life, today’s large generation of adolescents can be a turning point for the least developed countries.

11. Online learning has the potential to scale up and democratize access to education around the world and keep education systems running even during global crises. Thus, the online university proposed in the Doha Programme of Action will utilize the potential of digitalization to advance quality education in the least developed countries, bridging global educational gaps and overcoming some of the challenges to provide quality education to these countries and beyond.

Universal social protection

12. The least developed countries have lower levels of social protection compared with other developing nations. Only 14 per cent of the population in these countries are covered by at least one area of social protection, excluding health-care and sickness benefits. Only 6.2 per cent of the labour force, and just 4.2 per cent of women in the labour force, actively contribute to a pension scheme compared with 53.1 per cent and 55.6 per cent, respectively, in other developing countries. The high degree of informality in least developed country economies limits the expansion of social safety nets.

13. Weak social protection systems constrain poverty eradication and development prospects with widespread impacts across the Sustainable Development Goals. Gaps in social protection amplified the devastating impact of the pandemic in the least developed countries. Strengthening and expanding social protection systems in the least developed countries requires enhanced international cooperation and adjustments in the international financial and fiscal system that recognize the specific needs of these countries.

Hunger and malnutrition

14. The average rate of undernourishment in the least developed countries slowly declined from 31.3 per cent in 2004 to 22.1 per cent in 2022. Despite progress, undernourishment remains a persistent obstacle for these countries. Food systems are highly vulnerable to external shocks and many have often experienced food emergencies. All least developed countries are classified as net food-importing developing countries by the World Trade Organization. Food imports as a percentage of merchandise imports for the least developed countries were 15 per cent for 2020, almost double the world average of 8 per cent. The high dependence of many of the least developed countries on international trade to secure access to food items and key agricultural inputs has deteriorated their food security and put millions at risk of hunger and malnourishment. Estimates from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations show that the number of people experiencing severe food insecurity increased from 243.2 million in 2020 to 265.9 million in 2021 in these countries, amplified by the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global fallout of the war in Ukraine, as highlighted by the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance.

15. Food insecurity, malnourishment and the impact of food emergencies on the least developed countries put at risk their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Member States initiated a process in the Doha Programme of Action to establish a dedicated stockholding system for the least developed countries. The Secretary-General prepared a report identifying a set of measures to help improve food security in these countries, including a food stockholding system, which would assist them in building resilience to external shocks and support them in building the capabilities to construct sustainable and resilient agrifood systems. Further work towards the operationalization of a food stockholding system for the least developed countries will be carried out in accordance with the request of the General Assembly in its resolution 77/177 to further assess the proposed recommendations for these countries, outlining their modalities, terms of reference, governance and support structures, and to submit a report with the Secretary-General’s recommendations to the Assembly at its seventy-eighth session for consideration by the Member States.

Promoting health and well-being

16. The infant mortality rate remains high in the least developed countries at 44.8 per 1,000 live births, which is 59 per cent higher than the world average of 28.2 per 1,000 live births. In 2019, 1.4 million children died before reaching one year of age in the least developed countries, many from preventable or treatable conditions such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. Reducing child mortality can be achieved by establishing preventative and curative interventions that target the leading age-specific causes of death and the most vulnerable populations. This entails free and affordable access to vaccination to prevent infectious diseases, better nutrition and improved health services.

17. In the least developed countries in 2021, 59 per cent of women of reproductive age had their family planning needs met with modern methods, well below the world average of 76.8 per cent. The low access to sexual and reproductive health hinders achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Providing access to family planning can minimize life-threatening complications for mothers and their children by reducing fertility-related risks. These risks include pregnancies in which the mother is too young or old, too many pregnancies that are too closely spaced and pregnancies that end in unsafe abortion.

18. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the interconnectedness of all people, regardless of their position, geographical location, nationality or belief. The worldwide roll-out of vaccination campaigns has also laid bare inequalities between groups of countries, as illustrated by the meagre number of vaccines administered in the least developed countries. Supporting the production of vaccines or essential medical supplies and equipment in these countries should be a vital component of global efforts to increase the resilience of the world against any other future pandemic. Countries that already possess the necessary capabilities to produce vaccines should be provided with access to relevant technologies. In the medium term, countries that do not possess the necessary capabilities to produce vaccines or essential medical equipment should be supported to develop them domestically, or internationally in concert with partners.

Water, sanitation and hygiene

19. Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is connected to human development and well-being. In the least developed countries, 35.5 per cent of the population lacked access to basic drinking water services compared with 10.4 per cent worldwide in 2021. More strikingly, 65.25 per cent of the population did not use safely managed drinking water services in 2017. The situation is worse in rural areas, where 73.84 per cent of people did not use safely managed drinking water and 72.35 per cent did not have on-premises access to basic handwashing facilities. However, access to drinking water increased by 16 per cent over the past 20 years (2002–2022), from 50 to 65.7 per cent. The historic United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, held in 2023, came up with concrete commitments and initiatives to address the water crisis and ensure equitable access to water for all.

Governance and peacebuilding

20. Conflict poses a serious obstacle to sustainable development in the least developed countries and is an important factor for regional and global stability. Since 1991, two thirds of the least developed countries have experienced armed conflict. Supporting these countries in building democratic, strong and effective institutions should be a key priority of the international community. Addressing the linkages between lack of opportunity, poverty, inequality and conflict emphasizes the importance of linking long-term development objectives with the immediate needs of building peace and security. The Doha Programme of Action constitutes an important instrument in this regard for the least developed countries and their partners.