Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan would “actively support” the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, adding that the country would also advocate “specific steps” to advance sustainable development in least developed countries (LDCs).

The prime minister made the remarks while addressing the fifth United Nations Conference (UN) on LDCs in Doha. According to the UN, Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 manifests a new generation of renewed and strengthened commitments between the least developed countries and their development partners, including the private sector, civil society, and governments at all levels.

“Excellencies, as we come to the end of the Istanbul Programme of Action, we’ve chartered out a vision and strategy for the sustainable development of LDCs [and] it is both timely and important to revisit its implementation.

“Despite progress in some areas, implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action has remained insufficient and uneven,” he said, adding that only four countries were able to “graduate” out of the least developed status.

“In fact, LDCs were victims of the pandemic of inequality, unavailability of vaccines, technologies, finance and opportunities. And they continue to be affected by the climate crisis with cascading effects of different shocks, often at the same time.

“While LDCs make up 14 per cent of the global population, they account for only 1.3pc of the global gross domestic product (GDP), 1pc of global trade and merely 1.4pc of global foreign direct investment (FDI).”

PM Shehbaz said “multiple crises” had taken a heavy toll on the world’s LDCs. “Their GDP growth has plummeted, international trade has shrunk, poverty and food insecurity has risen [and] inequality has widened. Due to these factors, developing countries like Pakistan have also suffered a severe setback to their developmental goals.”

He went on to say that Pakistan expressed full support and solidarity with developed countries in their quest for social progress and economic prosperity.

“As we move towards the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, Pakistan will continue to advocate several specific steps to advance sustainable development in LDCs,” the premier said, adding that meeting the programme’s “ambitious targets” would require revitalised global partnerships based on effective means of implementation in certain areas.

Firstly, we must address vaccine inequity through adequate and timely access to safe and effective vaccines for LDCs, he said.

The prime minister also said that the official development assistance (ODA), comprising 0.7pc of the gross national income (GNI) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, must be fulfilled. He said that 0.15 to 0.2pc must be allocated to LDCs.

PM Shehbaz also called for addressing the “increasingly unsustainable debt burden” of many LDCs. “It is a matter of great concern that six LDCs are classified as suffering from debt burden while 17 are at high risk of debt distress.”

The premier further said that universal access to social protection should also be provided in order to support the most “needy and vulnerable”.

“We also need to reform the unequal financial architecture [and] make it people-centric and designed to address special needs and weaknesses of LDCs.”

Lastly, an international technology compact aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) should also be adopted, the premier said, adding that it should offer easy access to developing countries in order to develop their productivity and bridge the digital divide. “This would enable the least developed and other developing countries to participate on an equal footing in the emerging knowledge-based economy.”

PM Shehbaz said that he was “pleased” to note the Doha Programme of Action had set an ambitious target to enable 15 additional LDCs to meet the criteria for graduating by 2031.

“Concrete measures agreed upon in the programme of action […] are laudable. Putting the welfare of millions of people belonging to LDCs at the centre of affirmative policy action remains our most cherished goal,” the premier said, assuring the participants that Pakistan would “actively support” the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action.

At the end of his speech, Shehbaz also congratulated the emir of Qatar for the “immaculate arrangements” made for the UN conference after hosting the FIFA World Cup last year.

He added that Qatar had further “bolstered its standing in the comity of the nations as a champion of sustainable development of the global south”.