Mr. President, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates,

It is my honour to present to you the results, in terms of “deliverables” and commitments made, of the Conference. I am conscious that in the time available, I can but touch on the results obtained, and can therefore not do full justice to the remarkable achievements of this Conference. Moreover, many proposals for deliverables were made during the preparatory period for the Conference, but because time was short, a number have not yet matured to the point of acceptance, yet may well do so in the months to come.

Thus the report I present is not only by its very nature incomplete, but should also be seen as merely an interim report, the Conference itself being only a point of time in a continuum of development cooperation which will be carried on post the Conference and monitored by the “follow-up mechanism” on which so many worked so hard during the past week in Brussels.

National Programmes of Action and UN System Engagement:

Perhaps the most important of all the deliverables at the Conference was the “ownership” of the process demonstrated by the LDCs themselves, and the “engagement” of the entire corpus of agencies in the United Nations system. You have seen throughout the week the degree to which that engagement was manifested in the participation of heads and senior officials of the agencies, and the vast amount of preparatory work in which they engaged to assure an appropriate terrain was ready for the discussions themselves. And you have seen that forty-six LDCs submitted National Programmes of Action, prepared through the work of national preparatory committees covering a wide range of ministries and approved by the government, committing themselves to a wide range of policy actions in support of poverty eradication. Where PRSPs or Interim PRSPs exist, the national action programmes are identical to or based on those PRSPs; elsewhere, they provide the basis for future PRSPs. This degree of ownership is unprecedented, and augurs extremely well for the future of development cooperation: the LDCs “have their act together” and are looking for similarly coordinated responses from their development partners. Moreover, in the Plan of Action agreed after long and arduous negotiations over the past several months, the LDCs have committed themselves to a wide range of actions which will – when implemented – create the necessary conditions for a reversal of the economic decline of the LDCs and the take-off to sustainable development in those countries.
 

Development Assistance & Finance:

In presenting the concrete results, I shall dwell on the undertakings by the development partners of the LDCs. I shall focus initially on the two areas which caused the most difficulties, and in which the results reached are therefore all the more remarkable. These are finance and trade. Given that work in these areas was constantly in the shadow of the upcoming fourth WTO Ministerial at Doha in November and the Finance for Development event in Mexico in March 2001, any results at all were in doubt. But despite this, very important commitments were undertaken.
ODA Targets:
· Development partners re-committed to the ODA targets which they had adopted at the Second LDC conference in Paris (1990)
· Sweden announced that it will increase its allocations for development co-operation.
· A number of countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Luxemburg) have re-affirmed ODA targets.
· Other countries have indicated they will endeavour or intend to increase their financial support to LDCs (Korea, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic).

Untying aid:
· OECD announced its initiative on untying aid to LDCs from 1 January 2002, and a checklist to ensure coherence in their actions for poverty alleviation.

Innovative technical assistance:
· Supporting south-south initiatives (Switzerland).
· Strengthening ODA using Public-Private Partnership strategy (Germany).

Debt Relief:
· Development partners committed to providing expeditiously adequate financial resources for the speedy and full implementation of the enhanced HIPC Initiative and to providing new and additional resources necessary to fulfil the future financial requirements of the enhanced HIPC Initiative [POA, 87(ii)(a)]
· Development partners also committed to making expeditious progress towards full cancellation, in the context of enhanced HIPC, of outstanding official bilateral debt owed by HIPC LDCs [POA, 87(ii)(c)] and to cancelling all official bilateral debts of those countries in return for their making demonstrable commitments to poverty eradication
· A number of countries announced their intention to provide more than their original contribution to the HIPC debt relief programme (including Italy, Norway, Sweden).  Sweden also announced the allocation of another $50 million to debt relief and budget support this year.
· The European Commission announced a decision to forego payments on all outstanding LDC obligations arising from special loans provided under earlier Lomé Conventions.
· Development partners committed to encouraging creditors in a position to do so to consider a moratorium on debt service payments for LDCs in exceptional cases.
· Development partners committed to providing debt relief to post conflict countries under the enhanced HIPC as soon as possible, within the flexibility provided under the HIPC framework.

I am sure you will agree with me that, if implementation follows commitment, these results on debt and finance will dramatically improve the initial conditions from which the LDCs start in working forward from the Conference to their development objectives.

Trade:
Turning now to trade, I am happy to announce that equally remarkable breakthroughs were made. As both Pascal Lamy and Minister Pagrotsky (who chaired the meeting sat which it was decided) have said, the EU’s initiative to extend duty-free quota-free treatment to all LDC products except arms would not have happened had it not been for this Conference. Happily, other countries have taken similar initiatives (among which Norway, Morocco, Hungary, New Zealand). This initiative is important in its own right, but even more so because it banishes at one stroke the two major banes of LDCs as regards market access: tariff peaks, which have tended to hit precisely the products in which LDCs are competitive (or potentially so); and tariff escalation, which drives LDCs towards being simple exporters of primary commodities, rather than of higher value-added processed products. But other remarkable results were also achieved:

Market access:
· Agreement was reached that all developed countries will improve preferential market access for LDCs by working towards the objective of duty-free and quota-free market access for all LDCs’ products [POA, 68(h)]
· A number of countries indicated they will endeavour to improve access, such as through lowering of tariffs/duties on LDC products to their markets (including Korea, Switzerland, Poland, Japan, Turkey).
· The EU announced a multilateral initiative to forego the use of anti-dumping measures in relation to LDCs.
· Development partners committed to providing assistance to LDCs in developing infrastructure to ensure quality control and conformity to international standards of their products [POA, 68(q)] and to avoiding taking unilateral actions in a manner inconsistent with the SPS Agreement of the WTO [POA, 68(r)]
· Development partners committed to facilitating the WTO accession process for LDCs, making it less onerous and tailored to the specific economic conditions of LDCs 68(o)]
 

Capacity building for trade:
· A number of countries have indicated they intend to or are willing to contribute to the redesigned integrated framework for trade-related technical assistance (among them, Japan, Norway, Ireland), with the framework receiving $6 million for the implementation of the pilot scheme. The World Bank and the UNDP are also making financial contributions.
· In addition, Ireland will also contribute $3 million over five years to the Advisory Centre on WTO Law to help developing countries, particularly LDCs, avail of their legal rights under the WTO Agreements.
· The WTO has pledged to give as much assistance as possible to the LDCs in a number of areas, including in the area of accession.
· At the 8th World Summit for Young Entrepreneurs, held on the occasion of the Conference, the World Trade University was launched, to serve as an institution of higher learning that is affordable, accessible for entrepreneurs and policy-makers from countries, including LDCs, with strong support also coming from the private sector.
· The World Tourism Organization has designated poverty as a new priority for its work programme, and has announced a programme for sub-Saharan African destinations.

Investment and Enterprise Development:

Market access is vital for the LDCs, whose share of world trade is now an infinitesimal 0.4 of 1 percent of world trade. But if the LDCs cannot supply to the world’s markets in a timely fashion export products of sufficient quality, they will be unable to profit form improved market access. For that reason, investment in plant and vital infrastructure (including social infrastructure) to build productive capacity is essential. Much of the Conference therefore turned around such capacity-building, including in such vital areas as energy and transport, where LDCs lag seriously.
A series of initiatives were announced that can begin immediately after the Conference, amounting to what could be called an International Investment Initiative for LDCs, and includes:
· The launching of a multi-agency technical assistance programme on FDI by UNCTAD, MIGA, FIAS of the World Bank Group and UNIDO for a pilot group of LDCs.
· The establishment, together with the ICC, of an Investment Advisory Council for LDCs comprising senior business executives of multinational corporations and political leaders of LDCs. Tanzania has offered to host the first meeting of the Council later this year.
· The signing of 29 bilateral investment treaties at the ministerial level between mostly francophone African countries (nine LDCs) with developed and other developing countries, paving the way for increased FDI flows and economic cooperation.
· The announcement by the Government of Uganda, Empretec-UNCTAD, Enterprise Africa-UNDP and the Italian Directorate for Development Cooperation of Enterprise Uganda project to create, in an integrated manner a framework for business development services to foster networking, partnering opportunities and international competitiveness.
· A financed programme was announced aiming at promoting linkages between foreign companies and indigenous entrepreneurs, paying special attention to access by women entrepreneurs  to finance and technology.
· A number of investment and enterprise development-related projects received seed funding for a limited number of LDCs, but will require additional funding to expand to all LDCs.
 

Intellectual Property:
· WIPO announced a number of initiatives in the area of Intellectual Property to assist LDCs in this area, including support for the exploitation by SMEs of their innovative capacity and creativity

Infrastructure (including Energy and Transport):
· Development partners committed to supporting infrastructure development through inter alia public investment and by facilitating private investment [POA, 48(ii)(c)] and particularly for the creation of essential infrastructure to facilitate the functioning of liberalized domestic and regional markets [POA, 68(x)]
· They also committed to providing technical support and private sector guarantees to support infrastructural programmes facilitating bilateral, subregional and regional complementarities [POA, 48(ii)(b)]
· Development partners also committed to making determined efforts to increase ODA in support of LDCs’ efforts towards provision of social infrastructure and social service [POA, 32(ii)(a)]

Energy:
· Development partners committed to supporting the LDCs in their development of energy resources, including renewable energy, natural gas and other clean energy sources, inter alia through financial assistance and by facilitating private sector investment [POA, 56(ii)(a)]
· Development partners also committed to facilitating the transfer of technology for the development of clean energy technologies in accordance with relevant international agreements [POA, 56(ii)(b)] and to supporting LDC efforts to diversify sources of energy, where feasible [POA, 56(ii)(e)]
· Initiatives were announced by UNIDO on expanding decentralised village-level energy delivery through “multi-functional platforms” and the local assembly and manufacture of renewable energy equipment.
· An initiative for the establishment of national Centres for the Rational Use of Energy was also announced.
· A revolving fund to assist African LDCs in developing, designing and managing natural gas projects was proposed.

Transport:
· An initiative for the implementation of a strategy for the development of efficient international transport services for LDCs was announced by the co-chairs of the transport session. This was supported by the International Union of Railways.
· The Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (EPFL) offered to contribute to transport management training for LDCs through special programmes,  scholarships and  dedicated research on topics proposed by LDCs .
 

Agriculture and Commodities:

Most LDCs remain highly dependent on the export of primary commodities, principally agricultural commodities, in part because of physical endowments, but also, as mentioned earlier, because tariff escalation on value added in processing biases their economic structures. In such circumstances, LDCs are at high risk from any interruption in their market access owing to the application of standards and norms applied by importing markets. It is thus particularly important that an inter-agency initiative was announced (including FAO, WTO and UNIDO)  by FAO to establish a trust fund facility (target: $100 million) to support the upgrading of  LDCs’ food safety and quality assurance  capabilities. In addition,

· The EU committed to enhance technical assistance and capacity building to help LDCs meet SPS and other standards in export markets
· Development partners committed to strengthening activities covered by the Second Account of the Common Fund for Commodities, [POA, 68(v)] and the Fund in turn  has undertaken to finance within its resources and through co-financing, projects which were identified in preparation for the Conference, related to enhancing productive capacities, post-harvest measures and appropriate storage to minimize post-harvest losses and financing, including input credit, price risk management and structured commodity finance
· UNHCR announced an FAO/UNHCR trust fund to enhance refugee women’s capacities in the area of food security.
 

Human Resources Development & Employment:

It is a well-known fact that any individual’s chances of obtaining employment will be boosted by improved skills. Hence the importance of commitments in this area:
 
· Development partners committed to encouraging and assisting LDCs in building capacities for technical and vocational training [POA, 37(ii)(e) and in introducing innovative training methods, including distance learning [POA, 37(ii)(i)]
· Some countries indicated their commitment to increase their training programmes for LDCs (Korea, Poland).
· Initiatives were announced by ILO on offering a package of components to be integrated into national employment strategies and to support national poverty reduction programmes through the achievement and consolidation of employment-intensive growth.
· In the area of the digital economy, UNCTAD announced it would make available an e-tourism package to all sectors, public and private, of the LDCs, to help them reach the relevant markets.

Turning now to the “social” areas, significant results were achieved as regards health and education, and on governance and conflict prevention.
Health:
· Development partners committed to enhancing ODA and other forms of support, including technical support, for health, safe water and sanitation [POA, 39(ii)(a)] and to supporting LDCs in expanding and strengthening programmes related to HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases [POA, 39(ii)(e)]
· Financial contributions towards combating HIV/AIDS were announced: an additional $200 million from the US and $30 million from Italy. The SG-UN and the G8 are working on an international trust fund dedicated to the battle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
· The EU member states have agreed on a tiered pricing mechanism for key pharmaceuticals, and the Commission has decided to completely untie EC drug procurement from other forms of development aid.
· EU member states have endorsed a five-year Programme of Action prepared by the Commission to fight communicable diseases (HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria) that severely affect LDCs.

Education:
· Development partners committed to providing enhanced support, including ODA, from both bilateral and multilateral sources, to reach the Dakar “Education for All” targets on education and literacy [POA, 37(ii)(a)]
· Development partners also committed to supporting initiatives to overcome barriers to girls’ education, and achieving expanded and improved learning for girls [POA, 37(ii)(h)] and to intensifying efforts to transfer knowledge and improve the capacity for local knowledge creation in LDCs [POA, 37(ii)©]
· An initiative to promote school attendance in LDCs whilst maintaining family income, already in operation in a number of non-LDC countries (Brazil, Mexico) was announced (“MISA”)
· USAID announced an increase in its education budget by 20 percent

Governance and conflict prevention:
· A new UNDP multi-donor trust fund on governance was announced, with a special window for LDCs, as well as a window for city-to-city cooperation.  The Trust Fund already has a financial commitment from Norway, and interest from Sweden.
· A number of countries expressed support for governance initiatives (Switzerland, Sweden, Norway), and Sweden announced an increase in its financial allocation to conflict prevention and good governance.
· Japan announced it will make further contributions to the UN Human Security Fund, and intends to make utmost efforts in the area of conflict and refugee problems.
· Development partners committed to assisting LDCs in developing effective safety nets and swift response mechanisms to cope with natural disasters and socio-economic shocks, including those resulting from economic reform programmes and fiscal adjustment [POA, 32(ii)(e)]
· Here at the Conference, following their session, the Parliamentarians decided to establish a core group to establish a network with regards to the follow-up and implementation of the Programme of Action.
· The International Organization for Migration announced its programme of action in favour of the LDCs, covering, among other things, migration management.
· A number of city-to-city initiatives were also announced, including the establishment of a fund to support city-to-city cooperation, a dozen  agreements between cities in the North and LDC cities, contributions from city networks in favour of city-to-city cooperation, and innovative methods of financing city-to-city cooperation.
 

Conclusion:
I believe that even this rapid catalogue of the results of the Conference, incomplete though it is, and limited though it must necessarily be to those results directly achieved by the time of, or at, the Conference, clearly demonstrates the will of development partners to do everything in their power to assist LDCs in climbing rapidly out of the severe economic difficulties in which they find themselves. Let us all, in our various ways, keep the pressure on for the full and speedy implementation of the remarkable commitments undertaken here in Brussels, so that there will be no need for a fourth UN conference on LDCs.

Thank you.