By Kondanani Chilimunthaka
President Lazarus Chakwera has urged all members of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to work together in order to easily achieve sustainable development in their countries and promises in agenda 2030.
President Chakwera was speaking during the opening of the 5th United Nations Conference for Least Developed Countries on Saturday, 4th March, 2023 in Doha-Qatar.
Chakwera who is the current and outgoing chairman for the body said the summit offers an opportunity for the LDCs to find ways of how they can pursue developmental agenda to exit from the LDC, and urged the members to work together and have a more responsible path to development that will serve all mankind without leaving anyone behind.
“I can not emphasize how much of an historic opportunity this summit is for our nations. The world we live in is no longer the world in which any nation can pursue prosperity using a path that violates human rights and destroys the environment. For this reason our own pursuit to middle-income status must be different. Our own path to development must be more responsible to welfare of all mankind and more responsive to the urgent need for development that lifts all nations. And for us, that path is sustainable development in the context of multilateral cooperation. Our path to responsible and responsive development in this new world involves working together, leaving no one behind. This is the promise in agenda 2030.” Said Malawi leader.
Chakwera further added that the gathering is crucial looking at the status of LDCs, saying it is a body of nations that exists for the sole purpose of ending its own existence.
He said; “The gathering is crucial as LDCs is the only body of nations that exists for a sole purpose of ending its own existence. The LDCs is the only body of nations that none of us want to belong to indefinitely. The LDCs is the only body of nations that all of us are working to escape and graduate from. We are here to find ways of making sure that we leave the state of being least developed behind as we press towards becoming middle-income economies.”
In his remarks, President Chakwera who chairs the LDCs commended António Guterres, Secretary General for United Nations for his participation to the summit, saying it has demonstrated his commitment towards Least Developed Countries agenda.
President Chakwera has since called upon the developed countries to support the efforts being made by the LDCs, not as a favor or an act of charity, but a historical and moral responsibility.
