缅北禁地

His Excellency, Mr. Julio Cesar Arriola, 
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic for Paraguay,
Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Government and the people of Paraguay for 
the excellent hospitality and arrangements made for this meeting.

And I would like to take this moment to offer my sincere congratulations to you, Honorable Minister, for your leadership in delivering a very successful meeting.

I wish to convey my deep appreciation to your entire team, for their sincere and tireless efforts over the past few weeks and now here, for the success of the meeting. 

I extend my gratitude to all members of the Bureau, who were instrumental in leading us towards a highly successful conclusion of this meeting.

I also would like to thank ECLAC for supporting the organization of this meeting, and for all the crucial work that you are doing in this region.  

I also thank our fellow 缅北禁地organizations, and representatives of the international and regional organizations for their valuable contribution. It was very heartening to see the robust presence of  all of you here.  

My special thanks to the Resident Coordinator and the 缅北禁地Country Team here for their excellent support and cooperation.

I would like to especially the representatives of transit neighbors and development partners present here  – for sharing your valuable insights on the implementation of the VPOA, and for your important recommendations for the next Programme of Action. 

Your support and partnership remain indispensable as we work together to tackle the myriad challenges faced by the LLDCs. 2030 is coming up quickly, and there is much work to be done.

Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,

Indeed, the last two days have been intense, but remarkably productive.

We have just adopted the outcome document of the meeting by consensus, which captures the key priorities and takeaways from the discussions of this meeting. I congratulate you all for your strong commitment, which is captured in the document that we adopted and will be an important contribution to LLDC3. 

Allow me to highlight four key takeaways from our discussions and the outcome document of this review meeting. 

First: the progress achieved during the implementation period of the VPOA to build and upgrade transport, energy and ICT infrastructure is encouraging. 

For instance, we heard about the improvements in inland water transport infrastructure along the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, leading to a rise in the number of ports and the size of the available merchant fleet.

We also heard about progress to close missing links and expand transport infrastructure, including the efforts to develop the Bi-oceanic corridor, which will bolster regional trade.

Further, we heard about progress in Internet use, which is crucial for developing the e-commerce capabilities of the LLDCs. 

There are some important projects in the pipeline, which can contribute to further progress.
 
However, LLDCs still lag behind compared to their coastal neighbors on infrastructure development and further efforts to improve LLDCs connectivity within the region are vital.

It will be critically important to adopt an integrated approach to link the projects in the pipeline with existing ones, and enhance the scope and scale, where necessary, to ensure maximum impact on the ground.

Second: the meeting identified the areas where progress was slow. For example, progress towards structural economic transformation, and export diversification for LLDCs remains far below the potential of these countries.  

I am happy to see that the outcome document has provided some practical solutions to make progress in these areas, including by increasing investment and creating an enabling environment for research and development; and the development of viable strategies that could result in further competitiveness and structural economic transformation. 

A reinvigorated partnership at all levels to transform the economies of the LLDCs into higher value-added products and services will be the sine-qua-non for shaping a better future for them. 

Third: Another key highlight of the discussions was the challenges that the LLDCs have been facing due to the adverse impacts of climate change, which have only been magnified by the lingering impacts of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions.  As we heard, Paraguay and Bolivia are at highest risk of climate change impact in this region.  

The compounded impacts of these crises have severely affected their progress on the implementation of the VPOA and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To address the challenges faced by LLDCs, it is crucial to adopt effective strategies to build resilience against current and future shocks and crises. 

LLDCs cannot do it alone.

Solidarity and partnership of the international community are going to define the LLDCs’ ability to overcome the climate crisis and chart a brighter future for them.

Finally:  means of implementation, including on the need for enhanced financing for development and resource mobilization from all sources will be critical. 

The 缅北禁地Secretary General has long been advocating for development partners to fulfill their ODA commitments, and their commitment of $100 billion climate finance and enhanced adaptation financing. 

To rescue the SDGs, he called for an SDG stimulus package to the tune of at least $500 billion per year. 

Stronger support from the development partners, IFIs, MDBs, and RDBs will be critically important in this regard. It will also be essential to unlock the full potentials of stronger engagement with the private sector, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, energy transition, structural economic transformation, risk management, etc.

Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues, 

As we all know, this meeting is the second of the three regional reviews, which are being held as part of the preparatory process for the Third 缅北禁地Conference on LLDCs to be held next year in Kigali. These meetings are critically important to build momentum towards an ambitious outcome of the Conference.

The outcome document adopted today will provide important guidance and input for the next POA for LLDCs. 

So, where do we go from here? Let me provide a brief overview of the planned roadmap until June 2024:

?    Our next regional review meeting is the Euro-Asia regional review meeting to be held on 22-23 August in Bangkok.  

?    The LLDCs Annual Ministerial Meeting will be held on 21 September in New York. 

?    The SDG Summit during the high-level week of the 78th session and of the UNGA.

?    The COP28 to be held in Dubai end-November. 

?    An ambassadorial level retreat is planned to take place towards the end of this year. 

?    Two preparatory committee sessions are scheduled to be held in New York in February and April next year.

?    LLDCs Trade Ministers Meeting is scheduled to be held on the margins of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi. 

All these events will provide important opportunities to contribute to the preparations of the Conference in Kigali next year. 

As we move forward with the preparatory process, we count on your continued support and collaboration to make the LLDC Conference a truly momentous and transformative moment. 

I wish to make an early call to you all to ensure the highest-level participation in the Conference. [This is the first time that the LLDC Conference will be taking place in Africa.  And with 16 of the 32 LLDCs being in Africa, it is time to focus attention on them.  Your participation at the highest political level will be an expression of solidarity and support to them and to Africa.] 

Let me conclude by conveying a special thanks to our interpreters for their patience and tireless support.

Last but not least, I wish to thank my team at OHRLLS for your dedication, commitment, and the hard work you have all put in to ensure the success of this meeting.

I thank you all once again for your support and contribution.  I wish you all a safe journey back home. 

I thank you.  Muchas gracias!