Take interest in poor nations needs—Chakwera

President Lazarus Chakwera says the Doha programme of Action needs collaborative collective and courageous response as it contains measures for eradicating people’s poverty in least developed countries (LDCs).

The President, who is the chairperson of LDCs, said this yesterday during the adoption of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Chakwera said Covid-19 Pandemic has increased poverty levels in LDCs by 35 percent in the past two years; hence, the contributing factor to poverty levels.

He said: “Covid-19 pandemic is happening while LDCs are already choking from countries in the global north adopting the containment measures that includes inequalities in vaccine distribution travel restrictions and access to global markets and supply chains.”

The President stressed that this is happening while poor countries are also choking from the rising cost of goods triggered by the war in Eastern Europe.

He further said for LDCs to achieve the Doha Programme of Action, there is need for implementation that will take us over the next 10 years with strong monitoring mechanisms both at global and regional levels.

Chakwera has since called upon for the entire United Nations system, UN resident coordinators, UN leadership and development partners to supports efforts to implement the programme at all levels.

Speaking earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the conference offers an opportunity for LDCs to discuss the adoption of the next programme of action and its implementation.

Earlier in the day, the President was commended for committing to move Malawi out of LDCs to prosperity during a meeting with acting high representative for the LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Heidi Schroderus-Fox.

She said Malawi being the head of the global 46 member LDCs, throughout the negotiations, has been on top of the game .

Yesterday, Chakwera also held meetings with Guterres, President of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, among others at the UN headquarters buildings.

In the evening he met with Southern African Development Community (Sadc) ambassadors to discuss issues affecting the region, among others.