Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031

E/RES/2024/18View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Economic and Social Council, under agenda item 11bReview and coordination of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, published in 2024.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2023–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is E/RES/2025/23

2025E/RES/2025/23Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2022–2031LatestCompare with previous version
2024E/RES/2024/18Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2022-2031Compare with previous version
2023E/RES/2023/29Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 2022-2031

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 topics

Covid-19 Development Assistance Least Developed Countries Programmes of Action

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2025.

2025A/80/82Follow-up to the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

31 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries;

Expresses its profound gratitude to the Government and the people of the State of Qatar for hosting the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and for providing all the necessary support to the Conference and its preparatory process;

Expresses its appreciation to all development partners for the support provided to the least developed countries and for the continued commitment of support to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, including its deliverables;

Calls upon the least developed countries, their development partners, the United Nations system and all other actors to further intensify their efforts to fully and effectively implement, in a coordinated, coherent and expeditious manner, the commitments that have been made in the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries in its six priority areas, namely, (a) investing in people in least developed countries: eradicating poverty and building capacity to leave no one behind; (b) leveraging the power of science, technology, and innovation to fight against multidimensional vulnerabilities and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; (c) supporting structural transformation as a driver of prosperity; (d) enhancing international trade of least developed countries and regional integration; (e) addressing climate change, environmental degradation, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and building resilience against future shocks for risk-informed sustainable development; and (f) mobilizing international solidarity, reinvigorated global partnerships and innovative tools and instruments: a march towards sustainable graduation;

Takes note with appreciation of the preparation of a road map for the accelerated implementation of the Doha Programme of Action by the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, drawing on commitments made at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and in close consultation with the Inter-Agency Consultative Group for Least Developed Countries;

Calls upon the least developed countries, with the support of their development partners, to take action to implement the Doha Programme of Action, including by developing an ambitious national implementation strategy regarding the Programme of Action and integrating its provisions into their national policies and development frameworks and conducting regular reviews with the full involvement of all key stakeholders;

Also calls upon the least developed countries, in cooperation with their development partners, to broaden their existing country-level review mechanisms and report dissemination, including those for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of nationally determined contributions, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and the existing consultative mechanisms, to cover the review of the Doha Programme of Action and extend them to all least developed countries;

Calls upon development partners and all other relevant actors to implement the Doha Programme of Action by integrating it into their respective national cooperation policy frameworks, programmes and activities, as appropriate, to ensure enhanced, predictable and targeted support to the least developed countries, as set out in the Programme of Action, and the delivery of their commitments into results and to consider appropriate measures to overcome shortfalls or shortcomings, if any;

Invites the relevant United Nations regional commissions and agencies to undertake biennial reviews of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action in 2024 in close coordination and cooperation with subregional and regional development banks and intergovernmental organizations;

Calls upon resident coordinators and United Nations country teams, as well as country-level representatives of the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral institutions, to continue to collaborate with and provide enhanced support to national-level implementation, follow-up and monitoring of the Doha Programme of Action;

Invites the private sector, civil society and foundations to contribute to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action in their respective areas of competence in line with the national priorities of the least developed countries;

Decides to devote adequate time in its programme of work to discussion of the sustainable development challenges facing the least developed countries in order to enhance engagement and implement commitments set out in the Doha Programme of Action;

Also decides to continue to include periodically during its annual session an agenda item on the review and coordination of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action and to conduct periodic reviews of progress made and constraints confronted by least developed countries to allow for focused interaction, and requests the Development Cooperation Forum to continue to review trends in international development cooperation, as well as policy coherence for development, including for least developed countries and graduated countries, which will be supported by reviews by the Council’s functional commissions and other intergovernmental bodies and forums;

Invites the United Nations system, including the governing bodies of the United Nations funds and programmes and other multilateral organizations, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions, as well as the World Trade Organization, to contribute to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action and to integrate it into their programmes of work, as appropriate and in accordance with their relevant mandates, and invites those organizations to participate fully in reviews of the Programme of Action at the national, subregional, regional and global levels;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the full mobilization and coordination of all parts of the United Nations system to facilitate coordinated implementation and coherence in the follow-up to and monitoring of the Doha Programme of Action at the national, subregional, regional and global levels, broadly utilizing the coordination mechanisms available, such as the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination and the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, and keeping the Inter-Agency Consultative Group for Least Developed Countries active in this regard;

Reaffirms its decision to include the Doha Programme of Action as part of its review of the implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits, including the review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Recalls the operationalization of the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, and invites Member States, as well as international organizations, foundations and the private sector, to provide increased voluntary financial contributions and technical assistance to ensure its contribution to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action;

Expresses deep concern at the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the least developed countries, takes note of the statement dated 28 April 2020 of the Group of Least Developed Countries on COVID-19 and commits to supporting its implementation, as appropriate, and invites development partners, international organizations and other stakeholders to support the least developed countries in their recovery efforts and continued implementation of the unfulfilled agenda of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development;

Reiterates the importance of ensuring the increasing availability of and equitable access to safe, effective, affordable and quality COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other health tools to all countries, and commits to helping developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in their efforts to meet national immunization requirements, strengthen national health systems and health infrastructure, and improve their capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with a view to achieving universal health coverage, including through efficient health financing policies and international cooperation on health;

Expresses concern that the increased pressure on food, energy and finance and growing inequalities between and within countries, elevated inflation, rising global interest rates, tightened financial conditions, high indebtedness, disruptions in supply chains, and geopolitical tensions and conflicts, together with the adverse impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and digital divides, have exacerbated challenges for many countries in addition to those associated with COVID-19 recovery, increasing hunger, and all forms of malnutrition and poverty and inequality;

Notes that the Goals were off track even before this recent confluence of crises and challenges, with financing to the least developed countries neither mobilized at the scale nor allocated at the terms necessary to achieve deep economic, societal and environmental transformation;

Recognizes that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is intrinsically linked to the successful implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, is deeply concerned by the marked increase of the estimated Sustainable Development Goal financing gap to between 2.5 and 4.0 trillion United States dollars annually for developing countries, and recognizes the urgency of providing affordable, predictable, sustainable and sufficient development finance to developing countries, especially the least developed countries;

Notes that the global macroeconomic outlook remains highly uncertain, and is particularly bleak for many developing countries, including a large number of least developed countries, faced with growing debt service burdens and tight fiscal constraints and that such a finance divide will, if left unaddressed, translate into a lasting sustainable development divide;

Notes with concern that 15 million more people in least developed countries were living in extreme poverty in 2023 compared to 2019, which poses a further threat to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, stresses the need for global support for the least developed countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as ensuring that no one is left behind, and further recognizes the importance of enhancing good governance at all levels by strengthening democratic processes, institutions and the rule of law, increasing efficiency, coherence, transparency and participation, achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, protecting and promoting human rights, reducing corruption and strengthening the capacity of Governments of least developed countries to play an effective role in their economic and social development;

Looks forward to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Spain from 30 June to 3 July 2025, and calls for support to enable least developed countries to fully and effectively participate in the Conference and for addressing the specific challenges and needs of least developed countries to ensure that no one is left behind;

Reaffirms that the least developed countries, as the most vulnerable group of countries, need enhanced global support to overcome the structural challenges, as well as devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deteriorating situation of food security and nutrition, lack of finance and energy, and increase of poverty, that they face in implementing the 2030 Agenda, and in this regard calls upon the international community to prioritize and strengthen support from all sources to facilitate the coordinated implementation and coherent follow-up to and monitoring of the Doha Programme of Action, the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in the least developed countries;

Recalls the decision contained in the 2030 Agenda that effective linkages will be made with the follow-up and review arrangements of all relevant United Nations conferences and processes, including on the least developed countries, underlines the importance of strong synergy in the implementation of the recently adopted agendas and the Doha Programme of Action at the national and subnational levels, and encourages coordination and coherence in the follow-up of their implementation;

Welcomes the increase in the share of expenditure for operational activities for development of the United Nations system in the least developed countries in 2023, which reached 50.7 per cent of total expenditures at the country level, while noting that in 2012 the system contributed 52 per cent, urges the United Nations development system to continue to prioritize allocations to the least developed countries by developing operational guidelines, while reaffirming that the least developed countries, as the most vulnerable group of countries, need enhanced support to overcome structural challenges that they face in implementing the 2030 Agenda, and requests the United Nations development system to provide assistance to graduating countries in the formulation and implementation of their national transition strategies and to consider country-specific support for graduated countries for a fixed period of time and in a predictable manner, and in this regard looks forward to the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system in 2024 and calls for providing special consideration to the challenges and priorities of least developed countries;

Calls for ensuring an incentive-based international support structure to graduating and graduated least developed countries, including support for their smooth transition from development and trading partners, as well as the United Nations system, to make graduation sustainable and ensure post-graduation development momentum and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Reiterates that wider recognition of least developed country status could stimulate and facilitate better integration of the Doha Programme of Action into development policies, and requests the United Nations development system to prioritize allocations to the least developed countries by developing operational guidelines with clear budget targets, as appropriate;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Council at its 2025 session, under the sub-item entitled “Review and coordination of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries” of the item entitled “Implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits”, a progress report on the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action.

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