DOHA March 10th (ABP) – In the continuity of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) which has taken place in Doha, Qatar, the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, co-chaired, on Wednesday March 8, 2023, a high-level round-table on enhancing the participation of LDCs in international trade and regional integration.
According to the Burundian President, South-South cooperation and the signing of trade agreements will contribute to meeting some of the challenges posed to LDCs by the international trading system. He took the opportunity to recall the importance of structural transformation for effective integration.
According to the President of the Republic, regional integration and international trade are the engines of inclusive economic growth, hence he considered that this round-table was of paramount importance for landlocked States such as Burundi.
President Ndayishimiye took the opportunity to recall the considerable challenges faced by LDCs to integrate into global trading systems and seize opportunities in global value chains. Indeed, he pointed out, the catalytic power of South-South Cooperation, which refers to technical cooperation among developing countries in the Global South to enable transformative development in LDCs, was celebrated on Sunday, March 5, 2023, on the sidelines of the 5th United Nations Conference on LDCs.
Thus, two new projects in The Gambia and Uganda with a combined value of 3 million dollars, supported by the IBAS fund for the alleviation of hunger and the fight against poverty (India, Brazil, South Africa), have been announced.
In Uganda, the Women-Led Large-Scale Cereals, Pulses and Oilseeds Agriculture Project in Karamoja Region Green Belts will help the Ugandan government sustainably address chronic food insecurity in the region by empowering women and youth through agribusiness.
In The Gambia, the Enhanced Vegetable Production and Processing Project for Rural Women and Youth will aim to improve food security and livelihoods of women and youth through improved agricultural practices and irrigation structures.
The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) financially manages and supports the implementation of trust funds that facilitate cooperation and piloting of South-South initiatives worldwide, and serves as the steward of trust fund and secretariat to the Board of Trustees of the IBSA Fund.
According to statements made by the Director of UNOSSC, Dima Al-Khatib, the rich portfolio of South-South cooperation projects presented during that round-table, testifies to the transformative impact that can be achieved when developing countries work together and in partnership with the United Nations system. “We believe in the potential of South-South cooperation and its ability to be a game-changer for LDCs,” she added.