CDP at LDC5

The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) was held from 5 to 9 March in Doha.
• Link to LDC5
• Summary of the conference, including commitments
• All documents for the official meetings

CDP members and CDP Secretariat participated in the following three events:

Roundtable 8: Supporting Sustainable and Irreversible Graduation from the LDC Category

CDP Secretariat and OHRLLS organised the LDC5 High-level Roundtable 8 on Supporting Sustainable and Irreversible Graduation from the LDC Category in Doha on 9 March. CDP member Taffere Tesfachew participated as a panelist and launched iGRAD (Sustainable Graduation Support Facility) as a concrete country-led solution providing dedicated graduation support to graduating and graduated countries. iGRAD is one of five key deliverables of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) and is of crucial importance given the more volatile macro-economic prospects, coupled with worsening impacts of climate change that are likely to make retaining development progress difficult during transition from the LDC category.

More information on Roundtable 8:
• Summary (in French)
• Statements
• Link to the Roundtable

Side Event: Mobilising International Solidarity, Reinvigorated Global Partnerships and Innovative Tools: Toward Sustainable Graduation

On 6 March, CDP Member Taffere Tesfachew participated as a panelist at the event, organized by the Government of Portugal and Portuguese-speaking graduated and graduating LDCs. He stressed that addressing graduation related issues is becoming more important especially where countries are graduating but structural transformation and productive capacity are yet to be developed. He also highlighted that support from the international community support is necessary and iGRAD through UN efforts in collaboration with non-UN entities is an excellent example of such support to make graduation sustainable and irreversible.

More information on the side event:
• Concept note

Side event: Leveraging private investment for LDC graduation and the 2030 Agenda

On 7 March, CDP Secretariat held a side-event at the Conference's Private Sector Forum (March 7), focusing on leveraging private investment for LDC graduation and the 2030 Agenda. Moderated by Roland Mollerus, Secretary of the CDP, the event featured opening remarks by CDP Member Annalisa Prizzon, emphasizing the need for policies, incentives, and market understanding to address financing challenges in lower-income countries. Presentations from Sao Tome and Principe, Ethiopia, and Malawi highlighted public sector projects that demonstrate successful private sector partnerships, while Angola provided information on country’s investment opportunities. The event concluded with expert insights from UNCDF and the Private Infrastructure Development Group, and an interactive discussion.