Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Challenges and Opportunities for LDCs
New York, November 16th, 2006.

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), attended the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) International Forum on the Eradication of Poverty. During the Forum, there was a presentation on Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Challenges and Opportunities for the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s).  This presentation was held November 16th, 2006, at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

This event addressed poverty as a multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon, with a special focus on areas which offer opportunities for creating employment and driving economic growth in LDCs.  There was a presentation of two cases of countries: the Republic of Sierra Leone and Bangladesh. Joe Robert Pemagbi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, presented the case the challenges of poverty reduction in Post- Conflict LDC, which is the case of Sierra Leone. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, presented the case of Bangladesh.  A third panelist, Charles Gore, the Chief for the Department of Research and Policy in the Division of Africa, presented strategies for doubling the average household incomes in the Least Developed Countries.

All three of the panelists summarized that to break the cycle of poverty; it will require the integration of LDCs into world economy by improving their access to finance, international markets and technology.  It is also necessary to promote trade, investment and employment.