Thirty-eighth session of the commission-conference of African ministers of finance, planning and economic development :statement by Anwarul K. Chowdhury united nations under-secretary-general and high representative

Abstract

Statement by Anwarul K. Chowdhury United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative at the Thirty-eighth session of the Commission/Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Mr. K. Chowdhury, on his remarks highlighted that; Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains a daunting challenge for many Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including 34 LDCs in Africa. Recent reports of the United Nations Secretary-General suggest that despite significant progress of some LDCs on separate goals and targets the overall progress of the LDCs group on MDGs has been extremely slow. The Brussels Programme was adopted after the Millennium Declaration and before the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and therefore is intrinsically linked both to the MDGs and the NEPAD, good governance being a cross cutting issue that runs across all seven commitments of the LDCs and their development partners. The three-day of multi stakeholder deliberations culminated in the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration in which the LDCs and their development partners reaffirmed their commitment to the goals and targets of the Brussels Programme and undertook to make increased efforts to achieve them in a timely manner.