LDCs SHOW GREAT CONCERNS FOR INVESTMENT AND ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

On Tuesday August 06, 2002, deliberations focused on presentations of papers and discussions about the draft declaration of Cotonou Ministerial conference.
The first presentation was made by Mr. Normand LAUZON, Executive Secretary of the UN Capital Development fund (UNCDF) on the following: ”UNCDF a tool for development and implementation of LDCS Programme of Action”.
This paper showed that on the field , UNCDF directly contributes to the implementation of five out of the seven partnership commitments contained in the LDCs Programme of Action.
The UNCDF investments aim at encouraging population-oriented actions, promoting good governance at the local and national levels, building human and institutional capacity, reducing vulnerability , protecting environment and raising financial resources.
UNCDF actions match with the slogan: "Invest with the Poor rather than invest for the Poor”.
Mr. Normand LAUZON pleaded for an increase of the UNCDF financial resources so as to enable it to better meet the LDCs growing expectations.
Participants then followed a presentation on the theme: "Poverty eradication and combating desertification in LDCs" made by Mr Mama Arba DIALLO, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to combat Desertification
Underscoring the close links between poverty and desertification, Mr DIALLO stressed that desertification constitutes one of the basic pillars for national development strategies and as a result, an efficient means to meet the objectives of the Brussels Programme of Action.
He laid emphasis on the need for the mobilisation of financial resources to efficiently implement national programmes of action to combat desertification so as to secure for population affected by drought, food and power to control the management of their main natural resources.
In the course of the debates which followed the papers presented, participants commended the efforts made by the international communities and which aimed at poverty reduction in the LDCs.
They expressed the wish that measures put forward in favour of LDCs be really implemented.
Finally, participants exchanged fruitfully as regards the draft Cotonou Declaration.