麻豆APP

Hon’ble Ministers,
Director General Gerd Mueller,
Excellencies, 
Distinguished Colleagues,  

Let me begin by commending UNIDO for its strong leadership within the UN system in supporting the countries in special situations. 

UNIDO’s LDC Ministerial Conference provides a vital platform to drive forward the LDC agenda, and its Operational Strategy and Implementation Plan for the LDCs represent a timely contribution to translating the Doha Programme of Action into tangible results. 

And I am very pleased that UNIDO have also decided to put particular focus on the LLDCs.  Their structural vulnerabilities - emanating from geographical constraints, high transit costs, and limited connectivity – are well known.  
Excellencies,

Sustainable industrialization lies at the core of the Agenda 2063, the 2030 Agenda, and the respective Programmes of Action of the LDCs and LLDCs.

The DPOA sets an ambitious target to double industry’s share of GDP and employment in LDCs by 2030.  This is particularly critical given that 32 of the 44 LDCs are in Africa, and 16 of them are also landlocked.

The discussions today have made it clear that energy insecurity, high cost of capital, and limited industrial diversification continue to constrain progress in LDCs and LLDCs. 

In this regard, allow me to highlight three areas demanding our attention where decisive action can help us move from vulnerability to resilience, and from commitment to implementation.

First: we must address the significant energy gaps in LDCs and LLDCs. 

These countries possess immense untapped potential: in renewable energy, in critical minerals, and in regional integration.

The challenge before us, therefore, is to translate those potentials into bankable, and scalable solutions.

This will require long-term integrated energy planning tailored to national circumstances and responsive to demographic dynamics, rural-urban disparities, and infrastructure constraints.

Regional approaches also offer important lessons. They demonstrate how countries can collectively enhance energy security, integrate renewable energy, reduce costs, and improve grid stability.

 Second:  we must address financing gaps that constrain energy access and industrial transformation.

In both LDCs and LLDCs, external debt has risen sharply, while ODA and FDI have faltered. 

Access to international finance flows for renewables remains limited. 

Closing this gap will require a comprehensive approach, scaling up concessional financing, and mobilizing stronger private sector engagement.
 
In addition, the proposed Infrastructure Investment Finance Facility under the Awaza Programme of Action offers a promising instrument to address the unique infrastructure financing needs of LLDCs.

My third and final point is that the transition to green industrialization must be inclusive and equitable.

LDCs and LLDCs have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are among the most vulnerable to climate shocks.

In this context, we are advancing the Resilience Building Mechanism under DPOA, and supporting LDCs with national adaptation planning, resilient infrastructure, and resource mobilization.

As mandated in the Awaza POA, the LLDCs are now a formal negotiating group under the UNFCCC, marking an important step towards their collective position in the global climate discourse. I call upon UNIDO to support the LLDC Group as it has done for the LDC Group.

The clean energy transition also depends crucially on the sustainable and equitable management of critical minerals – which are abundant in many LDCs and LLDCs.

Notably, the Awaza Programme of Action for the LLDCs has also included specific provisions on critical minerals, which creates new opportunities for concrete actions in this regard. 
 
We need more coordinated efforts to translate these commitments into action, so that these resources become engines of inclusive growth, and the countries and local communities endowed with them derive greater benefits.

As the High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, I reiterate the full commitment of my Office to advancing this agenda and to keeping the priorities of these countries high on the UN’s agenda. 

I thank you.