The Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Mr. Rubens Ricupero, and the European Commissioner in Charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, Mr. Poul Neilson, today signed the Agreement between the United Nations and the European Union on arrangements for the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
The Agreement establishes the terms and conditions for the organization of the Conference, which will be hosted by the European Union in the European Parliament building in Brussels from 14 to 20 May. It provides for a grant of $4.1 million (4.5 million euros) to the UNCTAD Trust Fund for the least developed countries (LDCs). The funds will be used to organize the Conference and its parallel events, including a meeting of Parliamentarians, women entrepreneurs forum, NGO forum, meeting of mayors and young entrepreneurs forum.
This is the first time that the European Union is hosting a UN conference. Commission President Romano Prodi and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have expressed the commitment of their respective organizations to cooperate to the utmost in making the conference a significant and positive event for the future of the world´s 49 poorest countries. The LDCs´ total population comprises some 700 million inhabitants, with an average GDP per capita of $320 (350 euros).
In order to ensure a successful conference, logistical arrangements are under way and the European Union has already undertaken a number of substantive commitments. These include opening its market fully to the LDCs for all products except arms and an action plan to combat transmissible diseases. At the Conference itself, it is hoped that other concrete commitments can be agreed that will help LDCs revitalize their growth and development.
Forty of the 49 LDCs are also members of the African-Caribbean-Pacific Group (ACP countries). ACP members have a special Partnership Agreement with the EU that also includes preferential treatment for the LDCs.
