ISTANBUL: Leaders of the world's poorest nations and their donors unveiled Friday a plan to cut the number of least developed countries (LDCs) by half from the present 48 within 10 years. The 33 states of Africa and 14 from Asia plus Haiti, with a per capita income of less than 745 dollars a year, aim to increase their productive capacities and promote investments to reach this goal. “National policies of the LDCs and international support measures during the decade will focus on... specific objectives with the aim of enabling half the number of LDCs to meet criteria for graduation by 2020,” the Istanbul Action Plan stated. The hallmark of the plan is an emphasis on productive capacity – building infrastructure, human capital and governance capabilities in the countries concerned, a press statement issued at the end of a five-day conference on LDCs said. “This is the best way to create growth and wealth in LDCs so as to make sustainable human development gains that have been achieved by LDCs,” Cheick Sidi Diarra, secretary general of the UN-backed gathering told journalists. The conference, the fourth of its kind, hosted more than 10,000 participants, including 36 heads of states and government and 96 ministers. The event takes place every ten years to negotiate international support for LDCs. France staged the first two in 1981 and 1990, while the third was held in Brussels in 2001. – Agence France
