Towards UN LDC5 - Recovery from COVID-19

Event date: 21 October 2020, 14:00 - 23 October 2020, 16:30

The COVID-19 crisis is wreaking havoc on development progress. It also presents an opportunity for rethinking the economic vulnerability of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and developing countries more generally.

21 and 23 October, 14h00 – 15h30 (BST)

The COVID-19 crisis is wreaking havoc on development progress. It also presents an opportunity for rethinking the economic vulnerability of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and developing countries more generally.

On 21 and 23 October, the Commonwealth Secretariat will join other key development institutions and think tanks for a joint event focusing on ways to tackle the vulnerabilities of LDCs, in the face of a global pandemic.

The event is co-organised by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing States (UNOHRLLS), the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the framework of the LDC IV Monitor, in collaboration with Southern Voice, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), and the United Nations University.

The LDC IV Monitor is an independent association of think tanks and international bodies, that includes the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and others.

Session 1: What does COVID-19 mean for LDC vulnerabilities and support measures?

The first session will highlight emerging risks and discuss how to address the vulnerabilities and build resilience of LDCs. Discussions will inform the process leading to the Fifth UN Conference on the LDCs (LDC5), to be held in Doha, Qatar in January 2022.

Session 2: Financing the recovery in LDCs: what role for international co-operation?

The second session will discuss what new approaches and tools could increase the mobilisation, impact and alignment of financing for sustainable development in LDCs.