Leaders from the world’s poorest nations poured out their disappointment and bitterness at a UN summit on Sunday Mar 5 over the treatment of their countries by richer counterparts.
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Many made pointed calls for the developed powers to come good with billions of dollars of promised aid to help them escape poverty and battle climate change.
The Central African Republic’s president told the UN Least Developed Countries meeting in Doha that his resource-rich but impoverished nation was being “looted” by “Western powers”.
Right from the UN’s Secretary-General
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres followed up an attack he made a day earlier on the “predatory” interest rates imposed by international banks on poor states. He spoke with an emphasis on “no more excuses” for not providing aid.
However the opening day of general debate at the once-in-a-decade summit saw no major announcement of desperately needed cash – apart from US$60 million that host Qatar said it would give to United Nations programmes. Leaders of the world’s major economies have been markedly absent from debate, which will last five days, on the turmoil in poor nations.
The need for economic reformation
At a meeting with LDC leaders on Saturday Guterres called for US$500 billion to be mobilised for social and economic transformation.
Leaders also used the first day of public debate to renew demands that industrialised governments hand over a promised US$100 billion a year to support their efforts to counter global warming.
Presidents and prime ministers from Africa and the Asia-Pacific region made calls for financial action.
Bangladesh speaks out loud
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose country of 170 million is scheduled to graduate out of LDC status, said poorer nations “deserve” certainty over financing for development and climate. “The international community must renew its commitment for real structural transformation in LDCs,” Hasina said.
Our nations do not ask for charity. What we seek are our due international commitments
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh prime minister
Leaders also used the first day of public debate to renew demands that industrialised governments hand over a promised $100 billion a year to support their efforts to counter global warming.
At the end of the day
But the opening day of general debate at the once-in-a-decade summit saw no major announcement of desperately needed cash apart from $60 million that host Qatar said it would give to United Nations programmes.
While the Leaders of the world’s major economies have been markedly absent from debate, which will last five days, on the turmoil in poor nations.
At a meeting with LDC leaders on Saturday Guterres called for $500 billion to be mobilised for social and economic transformation.
Presidents and prime ministers from Africa and the Asia-Pacific region made calls for financial action.
Though the opening day of general debate at the once-in-a-decade summit saw no major announcement of desperately needed cash apart from $60 million that host Qatar said it would give to United Nations programmes.
