By Elena Marmo and Alexa Sabatini
The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) will be held In Doha, Qatar in January 2022. Preparations are already underway to negotiate the Outcome Document to be adopted in Doha, which will serve as a new 10-year Programme of Action (PoA) for the LDCs.
On 20 May 2021, Co-Chairs of the LDC5 Preparatory Committee bureau–Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh and Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada–facilitated a virtual consultation with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), designed to address policy prescriptions that LDC5 must deliver to meet the needs of people and planet.
The consultation took place a few days before the First Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting 24-28 May, which signaled the beginning of the deliberations to shape the Outcome Document of LDC5. Member States and Civil Society also gathered for an event titled, “Diversifying the Financing Toolbox to Enhance Investment in LDCs” co-convened by the Presidents of the General Assembly and ECOSOC on 18 June. Discussions will continue during the Second PrepCom meeting 26-30 July.