CFC joins Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, New York, 23 September 2020
New York, 23 September 2020. CFC joins Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, New York, 23 September 2020.
CFC attended the “Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries” organized at New York on 23 September 2020 where Foreign Ministers from Landlocked and other states gathered virtually to discuss the theme “Partnering for accelerated implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) and achieving sustainable development in LLDCs in the era of COVID-19”. H.E. Mr Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, chaired over the event.
UN Secretary General H.E. Antonio Guterres and President of the UNGA H.E. Mr Volkan Bozkir also attended the event to discuss the future of LLDCs in a COVID-19 hit world.
The Ministers committed to the outcome of the comprehensive High-Level Midterm Review, as well as the Decade for Action with a view to accelerating their implementation and achieve the SDGs in LLDCs. The meeting adopted the Ministerial Declaration of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries as well as the UN Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the VPoA.
Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of CFC, in his statement, reiterated CFC’s resolve for doing its best for the LLDCs and mostly in beginning value chain upgradation and product diversification in the LLDCs.
Ambassador Belal informed the meeting that during the period 2014 to 2020, CFC’s Executive Board has approved 19 projects operating in LLDCs to receive financial support from the Fund. The total value of these projects is USD 49.2 million of which about USD 15.3 million is committed by the CFC.
For the next five years, according to CFC’s operational plan for 2021-2025, it is working to commit USD 60 million for projects, of which approximately USD 16 million will be committed to development of innovative enterprise in commodity sector in LLDCs.
It may be noted that UN-OHRLLS is headed by Under-Secretary-General Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu who is the current High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. The 47 Least Developed Countries, 32 Landlocked Developing Countries and 38 Small Island Developing States have their own special challenges.