麻豆APP

Amb. Pasi Hellman, Under-Secretary of State for Development Policy of Finland,
Distinguished National Focal Points, 

Good morning.

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Annual Meeting of the LDC National Focal Points here in Helsinki.

Finland’s continued partnership and leadership have been instrumental in advancing international support for the least developed countries.

The connection between the National Focal Points Meeting and the Future Forum is both timely and important. While the Future Forum provides a platform for forward-looking policy dialogue on emerging development priorities for LDCs, this meeting serves as the institutional mechanism for translating those ideas and commitments into action at the national level. 

Together, they help strengthen the link between policy, implementation and accountability.

Dear Colleagues,

We meet at a particularly difficult moment for the global economy and for the LDCs. 

Rising geopolitical tensions, growing protectionism, shrinking development finance, intensifying climate shocks and mounting debt vulnerabilities are placing enormous pressure on countries that are already structurally vulnerable.

Four years into the implementation of DPOA, progress remains uneven. 

There have certainly been important gains.

Growth in LDCs is projected to increase to 4.6 per cent in 2026 and 5 per cent in 2027. 

Education outcomes have improved gradually, services exports have rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels, and women’s representation in national parliaments continues to rise. 

Since the adoption of the Doha Programme of Action, Bhutan and S?o Tomé and Príncipe have graduated from the LDC category, while 14 countries are now at different stages of the graduation process.

Yet the broader picture remains deeply concerning. 

Economic growth across LDCs remains well below the 7 per cent target set under the DPOA. 

LDCs still account for little more than one per cent of global merchandise exports. 

Food insecurity is rising, digital connectivity gaps remain severe, and debt distress continues to worsen. 

In many conflict-affected LDCs, hard-won development gains are being reversed.

In many respects, LDCs are becoming increasingly marginalized within the global economy at precisely the moment when stronger international cooperation and scaled-up investment are most urgently needed.

Distinguished Colleagues, 

Against this backdrop, your role as National Focal Points has become more important than ever.

Since the adoption of the DPOA, my Office has worked closely with LDCs, Resident Coordinators and the wider UN system to implementation, follow-up and monitoring.

 We have developed key implementation tools, including the Roadmap for Implementation, the Guidelines for Mainstreaming, the Monitoring Framework, and the Guidelines for the Preparation of National Reports. 

Together, these instruments ensure coherence with the 2030 Agenda and other global frameworks, while minimizing additional reporting burdens on LDCs.

To date, 22 national reports, and several draft reports for the global midterm review of the DPOA have already been submitted. This reflects strong ownership and commitment by LDCs to the implementation of the DPOA.

I congratulate all LDCs for undertaking rigorous and inclusive national reviews, which have laid an important foundation for our collective preparations for the global midterm review. 

I also wish to express my appreciation to the UN Resident Coordinators and UNCTs for their close collaboration with the LDCs in this regard.

As reflected in today’s programme, your discussions will focus on the key findings emerging from these national reviews, including achievements, persistent constraints, institutional challenges and lessons learned. 

You will also examine cross-cutting issues such as structural transformation, financing gaps, resilience-building, conflict-affected situations and sustainable graduation pathways.

Most importantly, your deliberations will help shape substantive recommendations for the global high-level midterm review of the Doha Programme of Action, which will take place in Doha in March 2027.

Distinguished Colleagues, 

Allow me to highlight five specific points to guide our discussions.

First: DPOA implementation must now move from commitment to acceleration.

 Many LDCs have already mainstreamed the DPOA into their national development framework.  

The next phase must focus on strengthening institutional coordination, accountability and implementation capacity. 

National review processes should not remain isolated reporting exercises. They must evolve into sustained mechanisms that strengthen policy coherence, whole-of-government coordination and multi-stakeholder engagement.

In this regard, National Focal Points have a particularly important role to play. 
They need to be adequately supported, empowered and resourced to coordinate implementation and follow-up at the national level.

At UN-OHRLLS, we remain committed to supporting you through stronger regional and global coordination, including a more effective Resident Coordinator and National Focal Point network, as well as through continued capacity-building and technical support.

Second: financing remains the defining challenge for accelerated implementation.

LDCs are facing a deepening financing crisis at a time when investment needs are rapidly increasing. Official development assistance to LDCs declined sharply in 2025, while foreign direct investment remains limited. At the same time, debt burdens, climate shocks and trade pressures continue to intensify.

Without predictable and sustained international support, the ambitions of the DPOA will remain beyond reach.

Debt relief and restructuring efforts need to be accelerated. Concessional finance must be expanded and aligned more closely with the structural vulnerabilities of LDCs.  Long-standing ODA commitments need to be upheld, and Aid for Trade support to LDCs should be significantly strengthened.

At our end, we will continue to advocate for more resources for LDCs including through the accelerated implementation of different financing windows, including the FFD4 commitments, with IFIs, MDBs, private sector, and the South-South or triangular cooperation.

Third: Structural transformation must remain at the centre of implementation efforts.

Building productive capacities, strengthening resilience and advancing sustainable graduation pathways all depend on structural transformation. Yet many LDCs continue to face persistent challenges in industrialization, export diversification, digital connectivity and human capital development.

Bridging the digital divide, investing in youth, strengthening STI, and supporting productive sectors must therefore become central priorities during the second half of DPOA implementation.  LDCs cannot afford to be left behind in a rapidly evolving global economy.

In this regard, we are intensifying efforts to advance the key deliverables of the Doha Programme of Action, including the Online University, the Food Stockholding Mechanism, the Investment Support Centre, the Sustainable Graduation Support Facility and resilience-building initiatives, all of which have significant transformative potential for LDCs.

Fourth: We must ensure that conflict-affected and post-conflict LDCs are not left behind. 

 Nearly half of the LDCs are either conflict-affected or have emerged from conflict. In many of these countries, multidimensional challenges continue to weaken institutions, erode productive capacities, displace populations and reverse development gains.

 As mandated under paragraph 301 of the DPOA, my Office is currently developing operational guidelines to strengthen coherence and coordination in UN support to conflict-affected and post-conflict LDCs. 

  These guidelines are expected to be launched before we convene in Doha for the mid-term review in March 2027.  And we will have dedicated session today to discuss this specific mandate from DPOA.

Accelerated implementation of the DPOA must therefore also mean accelerated support for LDCs facing conflict or emerging from conflict.

Finally:  let me return to the Fourth LDC Future Forum, which this year focuses on youth, education, skills and inclusion.

This theme is directly relevant to the implementation of the DPOA and to your work as National Focal Points.

LDCs are home to one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations, yet millions of young people continue to face barriers in accessing quality education, digital connectivity, skills development and decent employment opportunities. 

At a time when technological transformation is rapidly reshaping economies and labour markets, investing in youth is no longer optional. It is essential for building productive capacities, advancing structural transformation and strengthening resilience in LDCs.

National Focal Points therefore have an important role in ensuring that youth priorities are fully integrated into national implementation strategies and policy coordination efforts under the Doha Programme of Action. 

I look forward to your active participation in the Future Forum over the next two days.  

Distinguished Colleagues, 

The global high-level mid-term review of the DPOA will provide a critical opportunity to assess progress, identify gaps, reaffirm commitments and strengthen international support for the second half of the decade. 

Regional reviews are already underway, including the Asia-Pacific ministerial review held in Phnom Penh earlier this year and the upcoming African regional review in Addis Ababa next month.

The discussions taking place today will make an important contribution to shaping the outcome of that process. Your recommendations can help sharpen priorities, strengthen implementation and ensure that the DPOA remains responsive to the evolving realities facing LDCs.

My Office remains fully committed to supporting you in this effort. 

Let us use this meeting to generate practical and action-oriented recommendations that can help ensure that the DPOA delivers meaningful and transformative results for the LDCs.

I wish you productive deliberations and a successful meeting.

I thank you.