UNITED NATIONS: Poor Nations Resist Cuts at Trade, Development Body

By Thalif Deen Reprint | | Print |

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 29 1996 (IPS) - The world’s poorest and economically handicapped countries are expressing fears that their interests may be jeopardised by the proposed downsizing of the Geneva-based U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

A coalition of 48 least developed countries (LDCs), 29 land- locked developing countries, and 32 small island developing states is protesting the elimination of the only U.N. department which deals with the interests of the three groups.

That department — the Division of Least Developed, Land-locked and Island Developing Countries — is located within UNCTAD. But it is to be eliminated as part of a drastic restructuring of UNCTAD recently announced.

The Division assists these countries in negotiations at international forums and maintains a data base at the United Nations. It also plays a strong advocacy role and mobilises U.N. bodies in favour of implementing their programmes.

The United Nations categorises LDCs as the poorest of the poor, while the land-locked and small-island developing states are singled out as countries handicapped by their geographic isolation, a lack of natural resources, limited internal markets, and vulnerablility to natural disasters.

In a joint letter to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Ambassador Reaz Rahman of Bangladesh, Ambassador Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun of Mongolia and Ambassador Yvonne Gittens-Joseph of Trinidad and Tobago have underlined the importance of the Division, which they say, should be strengthened.

“A full-time Director of the Division should be appointed immediately and all other vacant posts of the Division should be filled on an urgent basis,” the letter implores. “Consideration should also be given to enhancing the level of leadership of the Division.”

The countries in the three groups, some of them common to all three categories, include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Bahamas, Belize, the Maldives, Paraguay, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Seychelles, Fiji, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, and Zambia.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero last week announced “sweeping internal changes” to restructure the 420-strong UNCTAD Secretariat.

The number of divisions in UNCTAD, he said, would be reduced from nine to four. One of the casualties is the Division of Least Developed, Land-locked and Island Developing Countries.

The only four divisions in a restructured UNCTAD would be the International Trade and Commodities Division, the Division on Services for Development and Trade Efficiency, the Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprises, and the Division on Globalisation and Development Strategies.

The changes are expected to take effect following the UNCTAD IX meeting which opened Saturday in South Africa and will continue until May 11.

Ricupero, however, emphasised last week that despite the elimination of the Division, current arrangements for the management of programmes concerning least developed countries will, in fact, be strengthened.

A new post of Senior Coordinator for UNCTAD’s Special Initiative for LDCs will be set up at directorial level. The Senior Coordinator will, firstly be responsible for monitoring a Special New Programme of Action for LDCs.

Ricupero also said that activities that will directly facilitate progress on the new programme will be encouraged at UNCTAD. Every Division will be expected to deliver outputs in specific areas — globalisation and development; trade and commodities; services for development and trade efficiency and investments; technology and enterprise.

To facilitate the start-up of new activities, UNCTAD is also studying the feasibility of a new LDC trust to enhance technical cooperation activities.

“UNCTAD IX should provide an opportunity to launch the trust fund for LDCs, and we are hereby inviting donors to take this opportunity to announce their pledging commitments in South Africa,” Ricupero said.