Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
10 May 2001
A South African delegation will be attending the upcoming Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, which will be taking place in Brussels from 14 - 20 May 2001.
The delegation led by Minister Dlamini Zuma will include the Minister of Communications, Mrs Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri; the Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry, Mrs Lindiwe Hendricks; the Deputy Minister of National Treasury, Mr Mandisi Mpahlwa and other senior governmental officials.
The Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) follows two previous conferences, both which were held in Paris during 1981 and 1990 respectively. The major goals of the conference in Brussels would be to accept a Programme of Action that will significantly improve the human conditions of more than 600 million people in the LDCs and to provide a framework for strong global partnership which will accelerate sustained economic growth in these countries and to enable LDCs to be beneficially integrated into the global economy.
Countries are classified as LDCs if they meet the criteria of low national income (per capita GDP under US$ 900 for countries now joining the list), low levels of human capital development (a composite index based on health, nutrition and education indicators) and economic vulnerability (a composite index based on indicators of instability, inadequate diversification and the handicap of small size).
Although South Africa is not classified as a LDC, the fact that 34 of the 49 LDCs are found in Africa and, more importantly, that half of the members of SADC are classified as LDCS, it is important for South Africa to ensure a successful outcome of the conference.
The success of the proposed action plan of the Conference will also have a direct impact on the potential success of the Millennium African Recovery Program (MAP) as proposed by President Mbeki, the President of Nigeria and the President of Algeria. Furthermore, South Africa is still Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and has an obligation to be informed on and to participate in events that affect NAM members. In this regard the Minister will be called on to deliver a statement on behalf of NAM during the conference.
South Africa's contribution to the development of LDCs is not only limited to participating in the upcoming Conference in Brussels, but South Africa also hosted a pre-conference meeting in Cape Town on "LDCs: Building Capacities for Mainstreaming Gender in Development Strategies", from 21-23 March 2001. The workshop culminated in the Cape Town Declaration, which, amongst others, recommended that for effective economic development to take place in LDCs, gender equality and the empowerment of women should be made an integral component of the economic agenda, particularly in areas of Trade, Finance and Investment. The Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry will report to the Conference on the workshop.
Despite the shortcomings of the previous two conferences, South Africa is strongly supportive of this conference and is optimistic that, with its envisioned new programme of action, it will be one of the building blocks to ensure that the new millennium can be described as the "African Millennium"
The conference will also address important issues such as fostering a people-centred development, building human capacity, promoting transparent and accountable governance; building productive capacity to make globalisation work for LDCs and mobilising financial resources for development in LDCs.
For More Information Please Contact: Mr Ronnie Mamoepa Cell No: 082 990 4853 Or Ms Basetsana Thokoane: Cell No: 083 443 7740