NATIONAL 2 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Common Concerns

Civil society members from Asia come together to discuss the problem of underdevelopment

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

At a time when the rest of the world is marching ahead into a century of prosperity, 48 countries (33 in Africa, nine in Asia, five in the Pacific and one in the Caribbean) are destined to live under deprivation and underdevelopment. Together known as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), they share common constraints in their efforts toward modernization and development.

With a view to bringing these countries into the development mainstream-that house 605 million people (that is, more than 10 percent of the world population), the United Nations agreed in 1997 to organize the third UN conference on the LDCs in Brussels this year (May 14-20). The conference, which aims at eradicating poverty in the LDCs through their progressive integration into the world economy with the support of the international community, will discuss and propose action for the sustainable development of the LDCs.

Asia regional meeting in Kathmandu : Solidarity for common cause

According to the UN, more than half of the population in the LDCs lives on less than US$ 1 a day. Their economies are increasingly marginalized by global trade, as their share of world exports is 0.4 percent. Right from the beginning, the NGOs and other civil societies are also involved in the UN conference preparatory process both at national and international level.

As part of this exercise, representatives of non-governmental organizations from seven out of nine LDCs in Asia gathered in the Nepali capital last week (March 26-27) to discuss the issues of their concern. They unanimously called on the developed countries to waive debt to their governments.

According to the United Nations, between mid 1980s to mid 1990s, the total debt of LDCs grew from 70 billion dollars to 135 billion dollars. "Their cumulative debt almost equals their combined GDP, and a fourth of their total earning from exports goes into paying for debt. LDCs are becoming increasingly marginalized as consumers, producers, exporters and importers," said Dr. Henning Karcher, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Kathmandu, at a seminar in the capital last month.

The Kathmandu Declaration, adopted at the end of the two-day workshop here Tuesday, has identified four key areas of common concern to be raised in the upcoming United Nations third Conference on LDCs due to be held in Brussels in May this year. The key areas identified by the workshop include finance and the market, governance and political structure, access to and control of natural resources and people's empowerment.

Trade liberalization and free market policies should benefit and protect the interests of the peoples of LDCS. Openness of markets should not be confined only to capital, but there should be freer flows of information, technology and people, said the Declaration. Regarding the governance, the Declaration said political structure must allow the involvement of the vulnerable sectors of society, particularly women, minorities and poor

people. Since the majority of people in LDCs depend n natural resources for their livelihood, appropriate policies should be formulated and implemented to ensure equitable access to and control over natural resources, it said. The governments should positively create new opportunities for the disadvantaged sectors of society, the Kathmandu Declaration said.

Inaugurating the workshop, leader of the main opposition, Madhav Kumar Nepal, said backward socio-economic structure, internal bad governance and external factors were hampering the development efforts of LDCs. He said good governance, enhancement of productivity through human capital building and equitable economic development, among others, was vital for the speedy development of LDCs.

There are other challenges too. "Though LDCs in Asia did quite well compared to other parts of Asia during the '90s, disparities between the LDCs and other developed countries have further widened," said Dr. Shanker Sharma, member of National Planning Commission. "Nepal is ahead of other countries in South Asia in terms of opening of trade and investment, market orientation, involvement of NGOs in social service delivery and empowering local bodies."

Poverty reduction remains a paramount challenge for the LDCs even in the new century. "The donor community and domestic governments must re-orient their programs for poverty reduction," said Arjun Karki, President of Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) and member of international steering committee of LDC Conference from Asia. "Peace initiatives in the LDCs need to be promoted."

Jointly organized by the RRN and International Steering Committee of LDC's NGO Forum, the workshop laid emphasis on the immediate cancellation of debt of the LDCs, increased foreign direct investment, openness of market as well as the capital market regulation to reduce volatility and to protect vulnerable economics.

At least 600 NGOs, including about 250 NGOs from the LDCs themselves, are expected to participate in the NGO Forum and the Conference. In the pre-conference deliberations (May 10-12), they will finalize their positions and to agree their joint submission to the conference.