(4th meeting) High-Level Political Forum 2025

Colleagues, if we could come together, please. The fourth meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council at its 2025 session, is now called to order. Please, if I could ask people to please come to order. This can be found at sub-item B of Agenda 2, the thematic review. At this meeting, the Forum will hold two panel discussions focusing on the overarching theme of accelerating SDG achievement in African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and middle-income countries. We'll first hold an interactive roundtable on topic of African countries, least developed countries, and developing countries— LAMLOC developing countries, that is— in promotion of lasting solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, And based on scientific data and facts, to attain the Sustainable Development Goals is crucial for African countries, for least developed countries, and for landlocked developing countries. These countries are all facing their own problems. And this calls for establishing tailored solutions when it comes to sustainable development. Welcome our panelists. My good friend and former colleague as PR, now the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the LDCs and SIDS, and Secretary-General of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, my colleague Rabab Fatima, who also has the longest title, I think, of anyone in the United Nations system. Her Excellency Massy Fodjezie, the Chair of the Committee on World Food Security, and Monsieur Landry Signe, who is a Senior Fellow at the Africa Growth Initiative of the Brookings Institute. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome our lead discussant, and believe me, she deserves the title of lead discussant. I'm pleased to welcome our moderator, Ms. Cristina Duarte, Under-Secretary-General and the United Nations Special Adviser on Africa. So now my job ends and I only get active a little bit later, like a volcano, but I will be back and I hand over the conduct of the discussion to the moderator. Madame Moderator, up to you.

Good afternoon, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to participate again in these brainstorming reflection sections. As the President said, we are here to debate, to talk, to analyze, Advancing the SDGs in African countries, LDCs and LLDCs. I do believe that any assessment exercise of SDG implementation should start with two simple numbers, just to make sure that we shape our mindsets in the right direction. We have used 75% of the time— is gone. We have delivered only 50% of the targets, and we have spent billions of dollars. This should be the starting point of any assessment exercise regarding the SDGs. So I do believe that these gaps are not just statistics. No, these are— I believe 75-55 reflects systemic underperformance, and you need to discuss the root reasons or the root causes of that. And I would like to bring essentially, let's say, 3 ideas in this reflection. In terms of moderator's role, setting a little bit of the stage. The first, if we have 75% of the time has been used and only 15% delivered, I think we should ask, business as usual is working? I think we should address this question. And when addressing this business as usual, is working or not working, I think we need to touch on three issues: models of delivery, responsibility, and partnerships— how efficient we have been able to structure strong partnerships. And regarding, for example, rethinking delivery model of everybody, not only the UN system, policymaking, after the policymaking, LLDCs, I think we should ask if we are— if the UN system has been supporting countries with fragile institutions, limited fiscal space, and repeated crises. Moving to partnership issue: have these partnerships enabled ownership capacity and transformation, or have they largely remained, let's say, projectized and short term, because we do have— we still have this issue. I do believe that at this stage, I would like when our panelists address the questions, if you could tell everybody in this room what have you been missing, because 75% against 15%, we have been missing something. And in the case of Africa, For example, I have been saying— and I stop here and then I will ask the questions to the panelists— I have been saying that maybe UNCSA needs to reprofile Africa because you have been profiling Africa as a continent deprived of financial resources and you are not, not at all, not at all. In the OSA knowledge product, we prove that Africa loses $500 billion on an annual basis. And we have a huge opportunity to undertake this type of deep reflection. We have the UN 2.0 challenge the UN system with a new set of skills: data innovation, foresighting, and behavioural science, you name it. And then more recently, the Secretary-General has launched UNAID. So we do have here, I believe, a couple of dots if we manage to put together might bring us to a very nice conversation. And Mr. President, with your permission, I would like to first say what is the global question, the overarching question. How can Africa, LDCs, and LLDCs accelerate SDG achievement. Again, to bridge the gap between 75 and 50, which is a huge gap. And I would like to start with you, my dear sister Fatma, the Under-Secretary-General, for the long title, as Mr. President mentioned. My dear sister, U.S. Chief Ateba, from your perspective, and you are watching on a permanent basis 92 countries, tell us what is needed to accelerate the SDGs in Africa, LDCs and LDCs, and What role do the respective programs of action that you have been leading can play and can make a difference? Back to you, my dear.

Thank you, my dear sister, my dear friend. And again, you just mentioned '92, so you know you saved some minutes by not mentioning my long title, so I hope that time will be given to you— to me. Okay. Mr. President, my dear sister, Madam Moderator, Excellencies, distinguished panelists, and distinguished colleagues, good afternoon. Let me start by thanking you, Mr. President, for this kind invitation, but thank you mostly for your steadfast commitment to placing the countries in special situation high on the UN's agenda. Thank you very much. Distinguished colleagues, the LDCs, LLDCs,— and African countries today face an increasingly complex development landscape. The lingering impacts of the pandemic, rising debt burdens, shrinking fiscal space, and declining flows of ODA and FDI have severely constrained their prospects. These are further exacerbated by intensifying climate impacts, global economic instability, and geopolitical tensions. They also suffer from the world's lowest rates of energy and internet access, two essential enablers of progress across all SDGs. And the 2025 SDG Progress Report that was launched yesterday also highlighted that SDG investment gap of $4 trillion US dollars was a major obstacle to achieving the SDGs. And these countries, that is the focus of this session are the ones facing that brunt. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need for renewed international commitment to the targeted time-bound frameworks that address the specific vulnerabilities of these countries— the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs and the Awaza Programme of Action for the LLDCs. I had the pleasure and honor to actually co-chair chaired the process with Ambassador Bob Rae, our President, for the Doha Programme of Action. The centrality of both the Programme of Actions were reaffirmed in the compromiso de desafíos adopted at F54 as essential tools to unlock structural transformation and accelerate SDG progress. These Programmes of Action are not just policy documents, They are SDG enablers. If fully resourced— if fully resourced and implemented, they offer concrete pathways to close persistent development gaps and recover lost ground in the final 5 years of the 2030 Agenda. The Doha Programme of Action, with its 6 focus areas, provides transformative solutions for the LDCs through investments in people, leveraging science and technology, enhancing trade, driving structural transformation, addressing climate risks, and ensuring sustainable graduation. Similarly, the WASA Program of Action, the brand new one for the landlocked developing countries, focuses on bridging digital and physical connectivity gaps, infrastructure development and value addition, and it promotes smart agriculture, e-commerce, and digital health solutions, to just name a few. My office has mapped the alignment of these programs of action with the 2030 Agenda and the Pact for the Future, and I'm happy to lift them up for you to see. This is a useful exercise to say that these programs of action are also very closely aligned to the Agenda 2030. They contribute directly to the SDGs, including, including those in focus during this session of the HLPF, namely SDGs 3, 5, 8, 14, and 17. Under the Doha Programme of Action, we are already operationalizing two flagship deliverables, the resilience building mechanism and a food stockholding mechanism, with the generous support from the government of Qatar, and the other deliverables are also on track. The Awaza Programme of Action has also outlined five key deliverables,— which also requires strong support from partners and stakeholders. And for real impact, these programs of actions, I would say, distinguished colleagues, must be integrated at national, regional, and global levels. National ownership is key, but the UN system must also integrate them into its strategic planning through cooperation frameworks and UN SDCFs. And my office is working very closely with the UN system as a whole to see how better we can integrate them. Some regional commissions and UN agencies such as ESCAP, FAO, and UNIDO have led the way through dedicated ministerial and aligned programming for these countries, and we would encourage others to follow suit to sustain visibility, foster partnerships, and mobilize support. It is also important that other development partners and the private sector also support these two groups of countries. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, These programmes of actions are indeed instruments of transformation. Let us act with urgency and unity to realize the full potentials for the 1.2 billion people they represent. I thank you very much. Over to you, Madam.

Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much, West Chief Fatima. Underscore, I would say, the bottlenecks. You mentioned climate, fiscal space, global instability, lack of energy, lack of internet connection, and these, at the end of the day, result or are the result of a huge investment gap. Why this investment gap? And I would like to take now the opportunity to move to the next panelist, Ambassador Yazile, based on the bottlenecks, the structural problems that USG Fatima mentioned and are almost cross-cutting AFKLDs, LLDCs. And then she moved to mention some of the important processes that OHRLS is undertaking to address them, allow me, Ambassador Yazili, to ask you, in your view, how can we accelerate the SDGs in Africa, LDCs and LLDCs, including through global process such as, for example, the UN Ocean Conference? The Nutrition for Growth Summit, and the Fourth UN Conference on Financing for Development, in which measure these global processes are contributing to address the so important bottlenecks that Westji Fatimah, in a very brilliant way, has presented here across this group of countries? Up to you.

Thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you, Moderator, and I'll go straight to address your question. I would like to outline that we can accelerate SDGs through greater convergence for joint actions across the globe, as my opening statement. The interlinkages between— amongst the goals number 3, number 5, and 8 reinforce a rights-based approach to create a more equitable and sustainable healthy world force by promoting full and productive employment, decent work for all women and men, and equal pay for work of equal value in health sectors and even in agricultural sectors. And the recent global discourse that you've just outlined draw natural linkages amongst the SDGs. In particular SDG 2, to end hunger, and SDG 14, which relates to healthy, productive, and resilient oceans, which are essential for ocean-based economies of food security and nutrition. And the evidence demonstrates that climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution adversely affect ocean life and life underwater. So with that critical understanding that climate change regulation supports adaptation measures, especially for small island states and LDCs, building equitable governance or steering all sectors that would begin to strengthen to a greater extent multilateralism to reverse the degradation and the state of health in oceans. So the discourse, and you mentioned the oceans conference that took place recently in June in Nice, France, outlined some of the key undertakings that we need to adhere to, or at least implement. One is to fund knowledge dissemination, including traditional knowledge, for the benefit of all stakeholders. Mobilizing resources, both new public resources and private financing, for sustainable blue economy to achieve SDG 14. Including decarbonization of maritime activities by 2050. Again, these are just demonstrations that if we want to attain progress in SDGs, there are these natural interlinkages, including combating all forms of pollution and address the effects of climate change to protect coastal livelihoods. That in essence could also accelerate commitments that are drawn from global to regional and national and local, with participation of local actors. The commitments to action that have already also been outlined in the various multilateral forums, be it in Geneva, here in New York as well as in Rome, one in respect of decent working conditions for fisheries workers implementing the 2007 Labor in Fisheries Convention alongside the ILO policy guidance on decent work in agriculture and food security of food systems. I would also go further to problematize other aspects of the means of implementation. According to the 2024 edition of the World Bank International Debt Report, the World Bank indicated or outlines that external debt of low and middle income countries touched a record of $8.8 trillion US dollars in 2023. While debt servicing costs in low- and middle-income countries also reached an all-time high. And according to the same report, a significant proportion of this accumulated debt occurred during the pandemic, mainly driven by the need for urgent provision of health services and providing economic relief amid sharp declines in economy— economic activity and government revenues. So these trends persist beyond 2023 as countries continue to navigate the post-pandemic recovery and address mounting development challenges. So in the context of the global discourse, South Africa as a G20 presidency, building on the G20 Independent Expert Group in 2023, on emerging markets and developing economies identified the need to increase investments in resilience, human, physical, and natural capital by 10% of GDP by 2030 to meet and advance the SDGs. Recent financing for development, as already outlined by the Under-Secretary, set a goal of 15% also of GDP. So, in essence, we do have normative frameworks and instruments that are already at our disposal. The question is, what can we do? And we need to build both the trust in multilateral system by demonstrating the implementation of these outcome instruments. Of course, of deep concern is the fact that chronic hunger in Africa has risen from 7.9% to 9.2%, affecting an additional 750 million people. Therefore, significantly, both Africa and also in contrast with 20%, which is 8.5% in Asia, 6.5% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7% in Oceania. What is therefore missing for me is to align the global action for means of implementation, building on the international discourse, both in terms of policy frameworks that exist, and I've already outlined some of those, including what then is produced by the Committee on World Food Security, to advance the progressive realization of the right to food. I want to thank you now.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. We need to manage our time better than we manage our 2030 Agenda. So, Ambassador Yazili, you mentioned three important ideas: greater global convergence, which is a call to reshape partnerships. Then you move— I link— allow me to link your call in partnerships and greater global conversion in terms of the need to rebuild— and I would like to underscore— to rebuild a strong global collective leadership that will then link with allocation of resources. And this gives me the perfect opportunity to move to Dr. Signe Brookings Institution. Dr. Signe, the same question from your perspective because so far we heard a high-level UN officer, who is Chief Fatima, an African policymaker from South Africa, and now we have the Academy. Uh, from your perspective, what new approaches are needed to accelerate the SDG achievements in African countries, LDCs and LDCs, particularly considering all the bottlenecks that US Chief Fatima has mentioned, that at the end of the day are just facts that SDGs have not been delivered. What the Academy has to say? That's a billion-dollar question, Excellency.

Greetings and deep gratitude, Excellency, Mr. President and Madam Under-Secretary-General. Greetings, Excellencies, distinguished ambassadors and representatives, all protocol observers. So I had talking points, but I think I will divert from my talking points and perhaps go straight to the point. I think the most important point to be taken into consideration, whether domestically, at the continental level, or in LDCs, and fragile countries, as well as globally with partners of those countries, is the political economy of implementation, of policy implementation. How to address the gap between the fabulous policy intentions when either local, national, or global policies are formulated, and the implementation outcomes. And I think in order to better address that gap, it is important to take into consideration the, what I like to call, the conflict ambiguity framework. And you can read about it in the publication for South Africa by the Brookings Institution, I'm the editor-in-chief, for 2025-2030. And there, policy ambiguity is associated with the convergence in the epistemic community about the solution. Are scholars and experts agreeable about specific solutions related to a specific issue? And then we have also the political conflict, which is associated with the political dynamics among multiple stakeholders. Are stakeholders aligned in terms of implementing the policy? So depending as— for example, when we have a high level of— a low level of ambiguity, so when we are agreeable about this solution, and when we have a low level of conflict, the successful implementation depends on the availability of resources and the capacity of countries to implement those and to receive support, including at the global level. So the first one, bridging the gap between policy intentions and implementation. The second point is also, do we consider enough the role played by the private sector? For example, by 2050, only in Africa, we'll have a combined consumer and business spending of more than $16.12 trillion. To what extent is the role of the private sector included in the policymaking process as part of the multiple stakeholders? Leveraging also innovative financing is extremely important— blended finance, and public and private partnerships. There we need, for example, $4 trillion in terms of financing gap for the private sector. To what extent could countries work together and with various partners to achieve those goals? I want to also emphasize the critical importance of boosting trade and investment, especially in women's entrepreneurship and financing. As you know, Africa is the region of the world where you have the highest proportion of women entrepreneurs and owners of businesses. Unfortunately, they are not sufficiently supported, and a full integration of women in both the job market but also in entrepreneurship can generate more than— between, depending on the country, 2% to almost 50% of additional economic output. So it is not just the right thing to do, it is also economically beneficial. I can further expand, but I think in the interest of time, I will stop there. So thank you so much, Madam Under-Secretary-General.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Sinié. Pointed out a couple of important ideas. First, we need to be aware that the lack of implementation might result from the lack of clarity or high levels of ambiguity in terms of policy frameworks. And not only is about money, lack of money. And I take the opportunity just to provide a number to support your idea. When you are gathering during the analytical work done by me and my team, trying to come up with a number how many financial resources Africa loses, one of the numbers that shocked me is inefficient public spending in Africa, $78 billion. So we need clear, strong policy frameworks, but we need strong implementation. And this moves me to the second round of questions very quickly. Where is she, Fatima? Let's go back to partnerships and let's mention the third UN Conference on Landlocked Development Countries that will take place in 3 weeks' time in Awaza. Please tell us how this conference, once-in-a-decade conference, will contribute in terms of building partnerships and launching new initiatives to support the LLDC countries.

Thank you very much, my dear sister, Madam Moderator. Excellencies, The adoption of the new Programme of Action, Tawasa Programme of Action, for the LLDCs, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly last December, marked a historic milestone for the landlocked developing countries. I would like to take this opportunity to commend all member states, especially the LLDC partners, for the remarkable achievement and expression of solidarity. I would say this is the most ambitious, innovative, and forward-looking development framework that has ever been agreed for the LLDCs. This LLDC conference is all about partnership. It's been convened under the theme of driving progress through partnerships, and indeed across all levels and sectors, partnership will be central to the success of the conference and to the implementation of the Awaza Programme of Action. The Secretary-General has invited heads of states and governments to attend, and their participation is extremely important to generate high-level commitment and political momentum in solidarity with the LLDCs. The conference will also serve as a platform for development partners, traditional and non-traditional, including IFIs and the MDBs, to come forward with pledges and announcements of support. And I welcome the growing interest of non-traditional donors, especially from the Global South, in supporting the conference, and their engagement is a powerful signal of solidarity and shared responsibility. The UN system has also been invited to bring announcements on key initiatives to support the LLDCs in implementing the new Programme of Action, and there will be a South-South Ministerial Meeting in Awaza, which is expected is expected to be a key moment of political and strategic alignment among the developing countries, but development partner countries will also be participating there. Crucially, the conference will bring together a diverse set of stakeholders needed to deliver the Programme of Action's bold targets and commitments. Indeed, this will be the first LLDC conference which will be truly a multi-stakeholder meeting. The Private Sector Forum is expected to catalyze business partnerships and unlock much-needed investment, mobilizing the trillions required to meet infrastructure, trade, and development goals. The parliamentary track will play a vital role in advancing legal and budgetary frameworks to support transit, trade facilitation, regional integration, and infrastructure development in the LLDCs. We very strategically chose the different stakeholders. Equally vital would be the youth and the civil society forums, and these constituencies are expected to bring renewed commitments and call for actions to champion digital transformation, innovation, and inclusive development and resilience. And last but not the least, the conference will provide the opportunity to take forward the concrete deliverables of the conference. There are agricultural— regional agricultural research hubs that has been called for in the Avazza Programme of Action. And then there is an infrastructure investment finance facility for the LLDCs, given that there are trillions of dollars in financing gap for infrastructure in these countries, a high-level panel on freedom of transit to be appointed by the UN Secretary-General, a work program on LLDCs under the auspices of the WTO, and the establishment of a formal negotiating group of the LLDCs under UNFCCC. These deliverables Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, are in close alignment with the urgent needs and priorities of the LLDCs. I am pleased to announce that under the chairmanship of Bolivia, the LLDC chair under UNFCCC, the LLDC group under UNFCCC have become fully operational at these UNFCCC subsidiary body sessions. I think this marks a very auspicious good start to the operationalization of the key deliverables. Excellencies, this is a promising start and we are confident that Awaza will deliver the momentum needed to transfer ambition into action and put the spotlight on these groups of countries. I look forward to welcoming you all in Awaza in two weeks' time. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you. Ambassador Yazili, building on what Westy Fatima, just deliver. Please tell us, how can normative frameworks and the policy products of the CFES rooted in human right to adequate food provide guidance to African countries, LDCs, and LLDCs to accelerate the SDGs? Thank you once again. Again, here, solutions— My dear Ambassador, 2 minutes.

Okay. Well, all right. The right to food is a binding element in respect of dealing with food security and nutrition security. And working towards the progressive realization of the right to adequate food demands effective climate action, conservation of biodiversity, and of course, management of healthy land systems. Institutional collaboration across all levels is key in this sense, and the UN institutions do not systematically differ from a rugby team or an orchestra, now that I come from South Africa where rugby is one of our signature exporting codes. We need to play together to be successful. CFS leverages its multi-stakeholder intergovernmental platform, which formalizes the participation to enable voices of civil society and indigenous people, vulnerable groups, be it women, youth, and also the private sector and philanthropic foundations to foster collaboration. Countries increasingly are recognizing the benefits of coordinated and integrated governance approaches, and of course, this reinforces the importance of context-specific approaches which identify synergies and manage trade-offs effectively. Building on examples from the Pacific small island developing states like Fiji, to, of course, the African leadership in Ethiopia, and from Bangladesh's century-long Delta Plan to Costa Rica's comprehensive agricultural policies. These are all opportunities that scale up integrated approaches across a number of countries—over 70% of countries that have been establishing these multi-sectoral governance structures. Therefore, both policies that have been developed through these inclusive processes in Rome through CFS have developed value, and most of those policies, because they are derived from knowledge and science that is provided by independent experts is able to facilitate a multilateral process of negotiations wherein we then reach consensus. And most of those policies, be it the Right to Food Guidelines, which are 20 years old, are still relevant today. The Land Tenure Guidelines, the Women or Gender and Women Empowerment Guidelines, all of which navigate areas that would enable advancement of the SDGs. I therefore want to conclude by saying, it is important to acknowledge that we do have a body of normative instruments. Now we have to be calling ourselves upon to advance implementation and utilize evidence-based science again to design implementation measures that will be responsive to the needs of our societies. This evidence would also be brought forward during the review in terms of UNFSS+4 in Ethiopia, which will begin to reflect on milestones that have been achieved in respect of advancing transformation of food systems. I thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mahi. Thank you, dear Ambassador. Let me take just one word from your intervention: knowledge. And I now switch to Dr. Signe. Knowledge. As I said at the beginning, the gap is huge. 75% of the time is gone. And you only deliver 15%. Tell us of the role of science, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, because the gap is huge. It must be— science, technology, innovation must be in the equation. Please.

Thank you so much, Madame Under-Secretary-General. So artificial intelligence and emerging technology are extremely important to bridge that gap As you have beautifully highlighted, for example, a study has identified that AI could positively impact 134 SDGs targets. So that is extremely important. And economically speaking, AI and emerging technology can contribute to double the GDP of African countries by 2035. And a recent study also by the IFC has shown the critical importance of emerging technologies, including in supporting 600,000 registered companies and more than 4 million micro-businesses in Africa who can literally benefit from those countries. And if I just add also, only in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa alone, more than $136 billion could be leveraged by better using technologies. Now, how to ensure that the gap is bridged? Numerous solutions. One is really to leverage human capital. To what extent can countries build fourth industrial revolution and human capital ready to absorb the AI capacity? We also have the expansion of physical digital energy infrastructure, the investment in cybersecurity, supporting the technological startups, as well as research and development, adopting agile governance to really bridge the gap between policy intention and implementation. And that, at that level especially, agile governance help managing the pacing challenge as well as the coordination challenge. And I will stop there. Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you very much. Before passing the floor to Mr. President again, allow me just to extract three, I believe, three ideas from this exchange. First, this conversation about SDG acceleration is more than SDG acceleration. It's about challenging deep systemic constraints Second is about moving from symptom management to structural transformation, a huge challenge. And let's not just ask how fast we are moving, let's ask whether we are even on the right path. And I stop here. Back to you, Mr. President. Ah, sorry, I need to go back to the lead discussant. But Mr. Chairman, yes, I'm all good. I got it. Now I'm going to ask Robert Amoafu from the Pan-Africa ILGA for his comments on this discussion. Are you there, Robert?

Yeah, I'm here.

Okay.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I am Robert Akoto-Amoafu, advocacy manager from Pan-Africa International Lesbian Gay Association. Distinguished delegates, as we review SDG 3, 5, 8, 14, and 17, I must raise two critical issues obstructing progress in Africa and least developed countries. The exclusion of LGBT persons, and corruption. Distinguished delegates, across Africa, over 30 states criminalize same-sex relationships. In Ghana, Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill in 2024, a sweeping law that threatens LGBT persons with imprisonment for simply expressing their identity or offering support services. If enacted, the law would not only silence civil society, but also deny vulnerable populations access to essential healthcare, violating SDG 3. It also undermines SDG 5 by, by reinforcing harmful gender norms, and SDG 8 by excluding people from economic participation due to their identity. In Uganda, the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act led to a 46% decline in HIV testing among key population reversing gains in public health. In Nigeria, workplace discrimination and violence against LGBT individuals continue unchecked under the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, directly violating their rights to decent and safe work. Excellencies, corruption continues to be a major threat to achieving the SDGs. Africa loses an estimated $148 billion annually to corruption, equivalent to 25% of the continent's GDP. In Mozambique, a 2 billion hidden debt scandal wiped out funding for public service. In South Sudan, billions in oil revenue remains unaccounted for while health systems collapse and jobs remain scarce. Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, we cannot talk about leaving no one behind while LGBT people are being legislated out of existence and public funds are looted without accountability. To do this, we support legal reforms that protect citizens, including LGBT people. We ask for strengthened anti-corruption measures by implementing robust transparency mechanisms, strengthening judicial independence, and enhancing accountability systems. We also need to provide capacity building for government institutions and civil society organizations fighting corruption and discrimination. Mr. Chairman, Africa and least-developed countries' transformation requires leaving no one behind. To truly deliver on this, we need to ensure inclusion, dignity, and integrity in our government systems for the realization of the SDGs. I thank you, Mr. President.

I want to thank the lead discussant very much for that intervention. I think it raises a series of critically important issues which we will find the time and place to discuss, which is going to be critical for the future development. That's perhaps my own view, but thank you so much for making that intervention. I want to thank the moderator for conducting the panel. We're going to now proceed to the interactive discussion. We have, as always, time is not our friend, but time is our reality. We have a discussion about middle-income countries that's supposed to start at 4:30. I'm going to arbitrarily delay that by 5 minutes, so we'll extend some time. But I'll be very clear with everybody what this means. It means that your clocks will be cut off at 2 minutes, and even with that, we'll only have time for about 15 to 20 speakers. So the speakers list is closed, and I'm going to have to ask everyone, including our colleagues from Nepal and Bolivia, to keep their remarks to 2 minutes. The good news is this is not a popularity contest and I'm not eligible for reelection, so nothing you can do. We have to make sure that we're being as fair as we can to everybody. And I know there will always be people who feel they have something that they couldn't say. But I would just remind everyone that if you have a written statement and you are on the speakers list and you did not get to speak, you can still submit your statement to us, and I would ask you to do that by going to e-statements, and we will find a way to make sure it's represented. I'm going to give the floor to my dear friend, and my successor is the President of ICOSOC, but not yet. The representative from Nepal, Lok Thapa, who will be speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries, and I will also be calling on my colleague from Bolivia to talk about the landlocked developing countries. So, Ambassador Thapar, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. I have the honour to make these remarks on behalf of the LDCs, and as highlighted by the UHC Rabab and other panelists, Alicia continues to grapple with enduring challenges stemming from climate change, serious geopolitical tensions, and persistent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, among others. On the one hand, poverty and hunger, inequalities, unemployment, inadequate health and education systems, ballooning debt burden, and widening digital divide are further exacerbated by these complex global challenges. On the other hand, ODA to LDCs continue to decline, so does FDI to the LDCs as well as the trade. As a result, there is little or no progress in achieving the SDGs in LDCs since the onset of the pandemic. Excellencies, against this backdrop, let me highlight 3 points to accelerate the SDGs in LDCs. First, structural transformations in LDCs remains minimal. Expanding and upgrading value chains, fostering regional and trade integration, investing in green and blue economies, and closing infrastructure gap is important. Second, we need for innovative financing and partnership to expand fiscal space. It is vital to reform global financial architecture, reforms including debt restructuring and debt relief for countries in distress. Thirdly, partnership is really important. As we know that the LDC5 was quite important and marked the pivotal moment. We need to have a stronger partnership for increasing access to grants, strengthening our capacity, and also for the de-risking investments and—

Thank you, Ambassador Thapa. So everyone understands, if the future president of ECOSOC gets cut off, you get cut off, whoever you think you are. So my colleague from Bolivia, on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing countries. Ambassador.

Thank you very much, Chairman. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the LLDCs. Accelerating the SDGs is critical for 32 landlocked developing countries situated in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, with a population of about 600 million, which continue to face a highly challenging pathway to sustainable development. The world must recognize a fundamental truth: landlocked developing countries face an inherent structural disadvantage—our lack of access to the sea—further exacerbated by unprecedented global challenges and crises. For the energy crisis, transportation and trade costs, high interest rates, inflation, high indebtedness, climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and pollution. So the special development needs, vulnerabilities, and challenges of the LLDCs must no longer be sidelined. They must be met with determination, solidarity, and immediate global action. We note with concern that with the progress made short in the achievement of the SDGs, economic growth, growth across the landlocked countries is modest and insufficient to eradicate poverty. What to do? We have the current AWASA Program of Action 2024-2034 with important recommendations regarding areas of priority and access to means of implementation for the LLDCs. There is the need to enhance the political will to support implementation of the AWASA Program of Action. In this context, we recognize that the provision of official development assistance remains a critical complement to domestic resources in LAGLOC developing countries and acknowledge that our countries depend on official development assistance to promote economic development. So we also want to invite to countries—

Thank you, Ambassador. I repeat his request to invite you to the conference in the beginning of August. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Finland, who is in fact the Special Envoy for Multilateral Issues.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, Excellencies, excellent panelists, distinguished delegates. Support to the least developed countries has been at the heart of Finland's development cooperation from the beginning. Finland's current multiannual support for the LDC Future Forum reflects our long-lasting commitment to be a reliable and forward-looking partner for LDCs and in accelerating SDGs. The LDC Future Forum 2025, held in Zambia this spring, focused on enhancing resilience, increasingly vital in today's global context. The forum's outcomes also contribute to other UN processes like the already mentioned important UN Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan, which Finland proudly supports financially. Resilience is a cross-cutting enabler of SDG implementation. It prepares societies to better adapt to shocks, protecting hard-won development gains. Finland's expertise stems from a long tradition of promoting comprehensive security. Our model, built on a horizontal approach, shared goals, active participation by civil society and the private sector, and a strong culture of preparedness, offers lessons we believe may resonate beyond our borders. Resilience alone is not enough, however. There should be frequent discussions on addressing the specific needs on the LDCs. Indeed, keeping this on the agenda on an annual basis is a key goal for the LDC Future Forum. Finland strongly supports the Doha Programme of Action, including its commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Advancing them is essential for building resilient, peaceful and inclusive societies. Let us work together, guided by partnership, preparedness and the promise of a more equal future. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Special Envoy. I now call on someone well known to all of us, the representative of the Economic Commission for Africa, the former PR for Rwanda, Clavier. You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. My good friend, High Representative Rabab, reminds me that Africa is home to 32 of the 44 ARDCs and half of the ARDCs are in Africa. Now, we are having a big challenge. We need these countries to grow to middle-income countries and beyond. And in Africa, 31 of the 54 countries are middle-income. But nearly 200 million people that are poor live in these middle-income countries. They are highly trapped in debt. They are highly trapped in development. And that's why this— at this moment in time of the financial crisis, only one country has graduated from middle-income to high-income countries, and that is Seychelles, since the global financial crisis in 2008-2009. But then at the same time, two countries have fallen back to low-income countries because there is no sustainability. And that's why we need to be very careful on how to assist the countries to accompany them to move from the low-income countries to middle-income countries. They are facing the same problems of debt, the same problem of low financing, but they are not included in the financial— they are not included in the debt solutions that are meant for LDCs. And at the same time, they don't have access to the concession resources that is available for low-income countries. And that's why we need to look at it beyond just assisting them to grow, but also accompanying them to become— to go to the middle-income country and high-income countries in a sustainable manner. And this is a topic that we can discuss in the next chapter. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Kagwe. I now give the floor to the representative of Norway, to be followed by Portugal and Laos. Norway, please.

Thank you, Chair. The African continent offers vast economic opportunities with the potential to promote inclusive growth and poverty reduction. Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the SDGs is crucial for African countries, and it is in our joint interest for this to succeed. Norway's relations with African countries span a wide area of areas. These range from security, multilateral issues, and finding solutions to global, global challenges such as environmental degradation and climate change, health crisis and food insecurity, to promoting economic cooperation with a focus on the business sector, investments, technology, and knowledge exchange. African countries are seeking cooperation in the form of increased trade and investments, improved frameworks for companies, support for business development, and more knowledge— knowledge sharing and capacity building. In many places, reforms are needed to improve governance, strengthen institutions, and increase private and public resource mobilization. This is even more important in a situation where international development financing is under severe pressure. Norway is very pleased that we achieved consensus on the outcome document of the Fourth Financing for Development Conference. The Compromiso de Sevilla includes guidance for increased use of public private partnerships. It also mentions triangular cooperation, which has several strategic advantages for developing innovative public-private partnership models. Different circumstances require different approaches. We look forward to further discussions on how to best follow up on these and other areas of compromis sur le Sevilla. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. I now call upon the distinguished representative of Portugal, to be followed by Lao PDR and the representative of Kyrgyzstan.

Thank you, Chair. Let me briefly share 3 points in response to the guiding questions. First, cooperation must be rooted in shared priorities, especially human development. Portugal development cooperation focus on education, health, and social protection, with gender equality, good governance, capacity building, and rule of law at its core. Over two-thirds of our bilateral aid goes to Africa, and more than half to LDCs, with a strong focus on fragile contexts. Our work aligns with the 2030 Agenda, the African Union's Agenda 2063, 3 and the outcomes of LDC 5, SEEDS 4, and soon LLDC 3. Second, implementation matters and must be innovative and action-oriented. Portugal launched new fellowships with the UN to build capacity in ocean governance, digital, digital transformation, and outer space, particularly for LLDCs and SEEDS. At FFD Therefore, we supported solutions that deliver: the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, the Go Beyond GDP Alliance, and financing mechanisms to fight poverty, anger, and build resilience. We also champion non-traditional approaches like debt-for-climate swaps with Cape Verde and São Tomé e Príncipe, and triangular cooperation including through our annual event in Lisbon. With the OECD and UNFCCC triangle cooperation window. Third, political commitment is essential. Portugal has maintained consistent political engagement with countries in special situations. We are— we were represented at highest level at FFD4 and engaged actively. We will be present at political level as well

I thank my colleague from Portugal and give the floor to Lao PDR and Kyrgyzstan, followed by the Holy See.

Thank you, Chair, esteemed panelists, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues. Allow me to share Lao PDR's experience in this context. As both LDC and LDC, the Lao PDR faces double-layered structural constraints. Yet our journey demonstrates that with a strong political will, targeted financing, and inclusive policies, tangible progress is achievable. Since the proclamation of the Lao PDR 50 years ago, and despite the enduring consequences of war, poverty eradication has remained a central national priority. From a high baseline of 46% in 1992, we have successfully reduced the national poverty rate to 18% in 2019. This achievement reflects sustained efforts to rebuild from conflicts and bridge the rural-urban divide through investment in basic infrastructure, social protection system, and agricultural diversification tailored to remote and disadvantaged communities. The Laos-China Railway and the Laos-Vietnam International Joint Port are truly transforming our country from landlocked to land-linked country. This milestone is made possible through enhanced partnership and the generous support of our development partners and friendly neighbor countries. To ensure sustainable and irreversible graduation from LDC status, we are implementing a smooth Transition Strategy focused on climate-resilient agriculture, tourism, and logistics development, reinforcing both economic and environmental resilience. The Integrated National Financing Framework endorsed in 2024 linked national SDG targets with public budgets, debt sustainability, and external finance paving the way for blended finance and thematic bonds through results-based—

I thank the representative from Lao PDR very, very much. It was, I must say, a speech full of good news, so I appreciate the comments. Now turn to Kyrgyzstan, to be followed by the Holy See and representative from Children and Youth.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues. It is a great honor for me to speak today about accelerating SDG achievements in our countries. As you know, the Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked country. We are fully committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and this year presents its second VNR by SDG. In recent years, thanks to the coordinated work of the Parliament, the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as the judicial system of the Kyrgyz Republic, we have made a qualitative leap in updating the legislative framework, which is the foundation for achieving the SDGs. Let me highlight several key points. As you know, Kyrgyz Republic is a candidate for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2027-2028. The elections will be held during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on June 26th, in New York. Our candidacy was supported by all Central Asian states and therefore Kyrgyz Republic will represent the Central Asian region in the Security Council and promote different regions' agenda. If elected, the Kyrgyz Republic is ready to focus on the development of countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other small countries among its priority areas. This year, for the first time in African continent, we opened our embassy in Ethiopia. Our countries must support each other. In this regard, we express our request to support the candidacy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the upcoming elections in 2026. Please be sure that we will support you too by different issues. As a mountainous country in the heart of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Republic is an active voice at the global level on the common development agenda of mountainous countries. Climate change, ecosystem destruction, and environmental pollution have a disproportionate impact on mountainous countries. On our initiative and with the broad support of our mountain partners, the 5-year action plan for development of mountain regions for the period from 2023 to—

Thank the representative for his presentation. We now give the floor to Archbishop Kacsa and then to Children and Youth followed by Timor-Leste, the Holy See.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished moderator and panelists, delegates, dear friends. My delegation welcomes this discussion on accelerating the achievement of SDGs in African countries, least developed countries, and landlocked developing countries. Despite longstanding global commitments and some progress, These countries continue to face systemic challenges that hinder their achievement of the SDGs. Chief among these challenges is the persistent and widespread reality of poverty. This continues to afflict millions of people, denying them material well-being and undermining their God-given dignity, while stifling their integral human development. In this regard, my delegation reaffirms that poverty must remain the central and urgent priority of the international community. Poverty eradication is not merely an economic exercise; it is a moral imperative. Mr. President, efforts to eradicate poverty are undermined by the unbearable burden of repaying sovereign debts. It is impossible to eradicate poverty when 3.5 4 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on healthcare and education combined. Providing debt relief is not an act of generosity, but a necessary step towards creating the fiscal space countries need in order to invest in integral development. Accordingly, my delegation calls for immediate debt relief including cancellation and debt restructuring, as well as access to concessional financing, especially for those African countries, LDCs, LLDCs, whose debt is at unsustainable levels. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Archbishop. We now turn to the representative from Children and Youth. And then to Timor-Leste and Rwanda.

Thank you, Your Excellencies, and thank you, Mr. President. My name is Mwingi Nachinga, Africa Regional Caucus Coordinator for the Major Group for Children and Youth, as well as penholder for the LDC 5 and LLDC 3 Youth Declaration. The youth demographic forms approximately 58% of LDCs and LLDC countries' populations. Young people are therefore key stakeholders in advancing sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda. However, despite forming more than half of the population, young people in LDCs and LLDCs continue to face systematic barriers which include limited access to technology advances, high illiteracy levels, and are plagued by inherent inequalities. It is therefore integral that young people are empowered to overcome these inherent obstacles to ensure that no one is left behind. This means providing access to quality education, affordable and reliable internet and technology, and active involvement in climate resilience and adaptation efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. We recognize the significant strides made in including youth voices in the development of youth policies and declarations such as those in LDC 5 and LLDC 3. However, youth engagement cannot be a one-time occurrence that ends with the adoption of these declarations. We must ensure that young people are not only included in the drafting of policies but also in implementing— in implementation and monitoring. This is the only way we can guarantee that no one, especially young people in LDCs, and LLDCs are left behind in the pursuit of the SDGs. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Timor-Leste and then to Rwanda, followed by the IAEA.

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, colleagues, and friends. Timor-Leste stands in full solidarity with nations whose development paths are challenged by systemic vulnerabilities, whether due to geographic remoteness, limited infrastructure, climate fragility, or restricted market access. As a Small Island Developing State and a post-conflict nation, we understand the complex journey towards sustainable and inclusive development. We affirm that to truly leave no one behind, this disease must be pursued through people-centered, locally grounded, and globally supported approaches. Timor-Leste places strong emphasis on integrated resilient strategies that address economic and environmental shocks ranging from climate disasters to pandemics to protracted conflicts. Timor-Leste believes that national Ownership is critical. We must ensure that global goals are translated into local action. This requires aligning national priorities with global commitments, backed by strong political will and cross-sectoral policy coherence. In this regard, we support the scaling up of regional cooperation and international partnerships, especially public-private collaboration to unlock the financing capacity and technology needed for long-term sustainability. Timor-Leste urges the international community to amplify efforts in capacity building, technology transfer, and inclusive governance. Let us empower youth, women, and local communities to take part in shaping development agenda. Lastly, we stress the interlinkage of the goals. Health, education, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods cannot be treated in silence. A holistic cross-sectoral approach anchored in regional cooperation and sustained political will is essential to deliver meaningful results by 2030. Thank you, Mr. President.

For countries like Rwanda, both landlocked and least developed, the SDGs represent a blueprint for long-term stability. But 5 years from the 2030 deadline, our progress is constrained, not by a lack of vision, but by limited access to capital, infrastructure, and fair market conditions. Rwanda's experience shows what's possible when there's political will, inclusive policies, and strategic investments, even in the most challenging contexts. Rwanda has focused on building strong foundations with over 90% of our population covered by health insurance, a major driver of inclusive human development. And we're scaling up homegrown solutions backed by gender-responsive budgeting and inclusive leadership. Because in Rwanda, closing the gender gap is especially critical in our development. With women leading over 40% of businesses and making up more than 55% in both the parliament and the judiciary, We also continue to invest in women's access to land, finance, and digital skills, as this paves the way for exponential human development. Through partnerships like Timbuktu with UNDP, we're also nurturing youth-led science innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa. Mr. President, Rwanda is proud to serve as a case study of what is possible when systems are inclusive, data-driven, and grounded in local context. But we also recognize that our progress is fragile and not matched by global cooperation. This is why we call on reforms that make SDRs accessible and flexible blended financing that supports small states and frontier markets. Finally, as we build on the Pact for the Future and the Compromiso de Sevilla, Rwanda looks forward to the LLDC3 conference in Awaza and to forging continued partnerships for our shared future. I thank you.

I thank the delegate from Rwanda. I'm going to limit it to 4 more speakers and then we're going to have to switch over to the next topic. Having said that, before any of you go ballistic, if you've not been heard from, we'll try to accommodate you on the next list, which will be in the middle-income discussion IEA is followed by Saudi Arabia, Philippines, and Thailand, and that's it for now. IAEA.

Mr. President, Excellencies, colleagues, the IAEA cooperates with African countries and the LDC countries in following sectors through its technical cooperation program: food security and sustainable agriculture, thanks to the nuclear technique co-plant Mutation breeding: Farmers in Burundi and the Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Zambia doubled and tripled their cassava yields. Energy transition: Many African countries and the LDC face energy security challenges. IEA supports energy planning, including feasibility study for nuclear power and small modular reactor to provide Clean, reliable electricity. The IAEA assists the member states in integrating renewable energy with nuclear power as a part of stable and sustainable energy mix. Last but not least, the health sectors. The IAEA has launched two initiatives to date: the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action Plan to support use nuclear technique to diagnostic and monitor disease such as Ebola and COVID-19. And the Rays of Hope, AM expanded access of cancer care. With over 90 countries required support, Rays of Hope has mobilized more than 90 million yuan, in addition to yuan 145 million from its own resources. Progress to date include establish Radiation Medicine Center in Malawi, Niger, and expansion existing diagnostic service in Benin, Kenya, Paraguay, Senegal. The IEA also procured 31 mammography for Latin American countries. And also we have, you know, the RESAP Forum for the cooperation with other partners.

Thank you, Representative. From the IAEA, call now on the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia, to be followed by the Philippines and then Thailand.

Shukran, Mr. President. I would like to say that through the Development Fund, we have committed to supporting development in African countries least developed countries and landlocked developing countries, as well as middle-income countries as part of our overall development strategy. First of all, defining and revising development needs for countries is important. And secondly, international efforts, especially through our programs and initiatives, including those related to digitalization and climate, as well as our actions together with the IMF and the World Bank have been put in place. Thirdly, benefiting from partnerships over the past few years, especially with the IMF and World Bank, the African, Asian, Islamic development banks, the— as well as the Digital Cooperation Organization. We also are providing expertise and non-financial resources to support countries in need. More than 800 loans have been issued, benefiting more than 100 countries in all the regions of the world. Amounting to over $20 million. The Crown Prince, Prince Salman, has committed to allocating $5 billion to African countries by 2030. The activities of the fund finance activities in various sectors, key sectors, and especially target LDCs and LLDCs.

Was cut off for the speaker. Representative from Saudi Arabia. I now give the floor to the representative from Philippines, to be followed by Thailand as the last speaker.

Mr. President, as a fellow developing country, the Philippines expresses solidarity with African countries, LDCs and LLDCs, and recognize their important contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. They are at the forefront of important global conversations. In the FFD process, we highly appreciate their strong leadership in pushing for a more ambitious, transformative, and inclusive development agenda, ensuring that the FFD4 reflected the diverse voices of the Global South. In this regard, we look forward to the Third UN Conference on LLDCs hosted by the Government of Turkmenistan. Our government, the Philippines, has given top priority for our participation in the conference next month, part of our continuing commitment to work closely with LLDCs in all developing countries for the SDGs. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. And now for this section, I give the last word to the representative from Thailand.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today, the world is facing a complex set of mounting challenges ranging from rising geopolitical tension, armed conflicts, economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and climate emergency. While no country is spared from those challenges, countries in Africa, LDCs and LLDCs, are among the first ones hardest hit. To address those challenges, partnership at multilateral level is required. Thailand, as an active emerging donor since early 2000s, has been firmly promoting South-South and triangular cooperation to advance economic and social development of other developing countries guided by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Thailand, through Thailand International Cooperation Agency, has embraced global responsibility for promoting development cooperation for economic and social development of countries across the globe in four areas to enhance human security, namely food, employment, health, and energy and environment, all of which belong to Thailand's expertise. Recently in May, Thailand hosted Thailand Development Forum for Africa on the application of the sufficiency economy philosophy and sustainable development, which senior officials from 15 African countries were invited to Thailand to experience our best practices in SDG-related topics with a particular focus on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, Thailand's homegrown approach for sustainable development. The event provided us opportunity to learn about Africa needs and how Thailand can forge partnership to help Africa's effort on achieving SDG by 2030. In conclusion, based on our firm commitment to SDG 17, Thailand will continue to assist country near and far in their efforts to promote sustainable development. Not only for the benefit of those beneficiary countries, but the regions and the world at large. I thank you.

I would like once again to thank the moderator for guiding us through the discussion at the beginning. I'd like to thank the lead discussant for his comments. And of course our distinguished speakers and participants, all of you, for your very valuable contributions. And we're now going to take a short pause, but only a short one, to allow the podium to be rearranged. So I'd ask you to not wander around because the interactive panel on the middle-income countries will be starting within about 2 or 3 minutes. So just hang on and let the panel switch off. Thank you very, very much, everyone. Okay, everyone. I would like us to, if we could, please come together. Colleagues around the side of the room, in the stands, everywhere, please. We've had a good discussion, but we have another good discussion to come up. I'm calling the meeting to order. We're going to hold an interactive panel discussion on middle-income which, please, if I could ask a little order, please, at the top. Okay, we know that more than half the world's countries are classified as middle-income countries, but this includes 75% of the world's population. Population and over 57% of global GDP in 2024. So it's also important for us to think about not only middle-income countries, but also to recognize that a large number of very poor people live in middle-income countries because that's the way the population works. We have two panelists. Ms. Armida Salcia Alishjabana, who is the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and John MacArthur, who is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution in Washington. I'm also pleased to welcome our lead discussant, who I'll introduce in a moment. And in particular, I want to welcome our moderator, His Excellency Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, who's the Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations. And so, Antonio, I'm going to hand over the conduct of the discussion to you and leave you to have our two panelists talk about some issues. We'll then turn to our interactive discussion and we'll then turn to do that, reminding everyone that We have to work to the clock. The clock tells us that we have to end at 6 o'clock. Our workers have to go home at 6 o'clock. They've been with us all afternoon and many of them in the morning as well. So with no further ado, I'll pass it over to the Ambassador for the Philippines to lead the discussion.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President of the Economic and Social Council, distinguished representatives, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to moderate this special session dedicated to middle-income countries as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines, as well as in my capacity as Chair of the Like-Minded Group for Middle-Income Countries, in New York. At the outset, allow me to deliver some remarks on behalf of the LMG mix. Mr. Chair, Excellencies, and colleagues, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Like-Minded Group for Middle-Income Countries, composed of Armenia, Belarus, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and the Philippines. In 2019, the LMG mix strongly advocated for a dedicated segment within the HLPF that focuses on the specific challenges and opportunities facing mix in our efforts to achieve the SDGs. We are glad to continue this examination in this year's High-Level Political Forum as part of our advocacy for a more inclusive and tailored development paradigm, one that prioritizes equitable access to development financing and cooperation and recognizes our significant contributions to Sustainable Development. In April this year, at the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries held in Manila, and through its outcome document, the Makati Declaration, we continued identifying strategic priorities in charting our transition pathways. We uphold the interlinkages of the SDGs and pay particular importance to First, financing for development. Second, going beyond GDP. Third, debt sustainability. Fourth, climate action and finance. Fifth, digital transformation and STI. And sixth, gender equality, decent work, and social protection. We also reaffirmed the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation. These strategic priorities must be advanced on all fronts through a UN-wide, through a UN system-wide response plan, through reforms in international financial institutions that consider MICS beyond their GDPs, and through a strategic plan of action for wider international support and cooperation. We will continue to to promote these priorities also in relevant UN processes, such implementation— such as implementation of the Pact for the Future, the QCPR, the FFD4, Compromiso de Sevilla, and the HLPF Ministerial Declaration. In conclusion, MICS require enhanced support for structural transformation and in charting long-term solutions. We therefore welcome this dedicated segment and encourage its continuation at HLPF future sessions. Now, switching back to my role as the moderator of this session, let me set the scene for you. Middle-income countries face persistent structural barriers to their development— including rising inequality, uneven economic growth, large financing gaps, and growing debt burdens, as well as vulnerability to external shocks, particularly climate change. While digital transformation can present a vital opportunity for MICS to overcome some of these longstanding development barriers, the progress remains uneven., with only 54% of the population using the internet in lower-middle-income countries, rural areas lagging behind cities, and few MICS being prepared for the AI era at the necessary scale. These divides risk deepening existing inequalities unless addressed with urgency. The Makati Declaration on Middle-Income Countries emphasizes the need for inclusive digital transformation, investment in skills and infrastructure, and AI readiness. As we move forward with the implementation of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, MICCs need additional support to close digital gaps and participate meaningfully in shaping a A fair, inclusive, and sustainable digital future, which can help accelerate the progress towards Agenda 2013. Without any further ado, let me introduce our panelists today, to whom I would address some of the key questions of this session. We have with us Madame Armida Salcia— Alisjabana, Executive Secretary of the Executive and of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and Mr. John MacArthur, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and Senior Fellow at the Global Economy and Development of the Brookings Institute— Institution. I would like to invite each of the panelists to share their initial reflections in about 3 minutes on the first question. First, what strategies and targeted actions are needed to accelerate SDG achievement in MICS?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, Excellency Ambassador Lagdameo, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Our region, home to 38 middle-income countries, accounts for 60% of the global population and one-third of the world's economy. Progress here will significantly shape the Sustainable Development Goals trajectory, as well as offering valuable lessons. Despite economic advancement, middle-income countries face persistent challenges. Including difficulties in creating jobs, natural resource management, reliance on primary commodity exports, and effects of disaster risk and climate change. Many also struggle with high external debt and volatile capital flows. Crucially, despite significant poverty reduction, 62% of the world's poor live there. This is compounded by the fact that almost all countries in special situations in our region are classified as middle income, highlighting unique vulnerabilities. To accelerate SDG progress, we need comprehensive strategies. First, we need holistic development assessment that complement and go beyond traditional income-based classification or GDP, but reflect economic, social, as well as environmental dimension. Second, investing in people is key. And furthermore, greater labor force participation and robust social protection are vital to ensuring that no one is left behind. Third, reforming the international financial architecture is critical for predictable longer-term financing. We need revised sustainability assessment that consider actual development financing needs and include vulnerability. Fourth, we must scale up South-South as well as triangle cooperation. Many middle-income countries have become emerging, the so-called EDPs, or Emerging Development Partners. This cooperation is a vital complement to North-South cooperation. It provides a robust framework for co-developing innovative financing mechanisms, integrated national financing frameworks, climate finance innovation funds, as well as inclusive digital economy strategies, to name just a few. Finally, middle-income countries must lead green transition, aligning climate action and priorities such as job creation and economic resilience. This involves reforming, for example, fossil fuel subsidies, implementing carbon pricing, and ensuring long-term political stability— policy stability, as well as investing in institutional capacity and promoting local innovation. Finally, the private sector is crucial, as well as public-private partnerships are essential for bridging Infrastructure financing gaps and tax reform that simplify regime and ease compliance for firms will boost further domestic resource mobilization. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, Mr. President, distinguished Executive Secretary, Excellencies. I share these thoughts today as someone who is obviously not from a middle-income country, being a compatriot of the President by coincidence, but as someone who did have the privilege of working in this building to help launch the Millennium Development Goals under Secretary-General Kofi Annan. One of the deep reflections I have in anticipating today is what a sign of success it is that we get to have this conversation, as difficult as it is, because so much of these Sustainable Development Goals are very much— the soul of them is for the middle-income countries of the world. And that, I think, is a central thesis to understand, because the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals are so much the challenges of the middle-income countries, the complexities of pursuing long-term economic success while confronting the imminent and so often acute economic and social challenge and environmental challenges of the moment. So how's it going? Well, most trends show that since these goals were set, uh, 10 years ago, by our best assessment, having looked at the empirics, uh, objectively a year ago, roughly speaking, business has continued as usual since 2015. Things have gone roughly as expected, and that's the problem. There are many challenges like COVID that led to surprises and disruption, but they have not yet fundamentally changed the course of how countries are doing. We see that the number of middle-income countries is almost exactly the same as it was in 2015. The number of countries that have graduated from things like IDA, the concessional financing arm of the World Bank, has roughly unchanged in the past decade. And we are, roughly speaking, stuck in too many of the same grooves as we were 10 years ago, even while many things have gotten worse. Geopolitics are obviously harder. Industrial policies have had a renaissance. That have made it harder to navigate domestic strategies. Vulnerabilities have certainly increased in so many parts of the world. But I do want to share a sense of what has changed as well. If we look at the long view of history, even of the past century, and even the past decade, there's a new conception of the role of business. Groups like ISSB, the International Sustainability Standards Board, are leading in middle-income countries around the world. Technology has changed dramatically. The cost of power has come down. Health technologies have transformed, and digital technologies have transformed. What we don't yet have is an investment strategy for middle-income countries to explore these new technologies and to leverage them to build their economic and future development success. And I hope we have the chance talk about that a bit more, of how to invest in these things where the fiscal space can allow it. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your insightful reflections. Let me ask you some follow-up questions. For Ms. Liz Jabbana, how can international cooperation and South-South Digital cooperation support the digital transition in middle-income countries, and what are some successful examples?

Yes, Excellency Chair. So as the world, and certainly middle-income countries, entering an era dominated by advanced digital technologies, our countries must prepare to avoid being left behind. International cooperation and South-South digital cooperation in this context will be key and very crucial in supporting a successful digital transition. Embracing innovation and digital tools is a cornerstone for advancing sustainable development. We must collectively harness digital transformation, making it a core pillar of development. ESCAP-ASEANA Ministerial Declaration, which was adopted last year, on digital inclusion and transformation underlines a commitment to international cooperation, recognizing the importance of digital cooperation through regional networks such as the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative. It specifically calls on ESCAP to enhance knowledge sharing on digital innovation while mitigating risk, as well as enhancing digital trust. Our report last year on digital transformation reveals that our region is the most digitally divided. Around 1.6 billion people remain offline. This is despite all the progress. And 60% lack high-speed internet, limiting digital transformation potential. A significant push is needed to tackle digital divides and avoid development traps. In this context, private sector is certainly key for scaling up investment in digital infrastructure as well as leveraging technology innovation. The sector is crucial in developing tailored digital literacy program, for example, and can help review the educational program in areas of AI and cybersecurity. Their involvement will enhance marketable skills and boost the youth dividend. We also need investment in regional data center and must develop large language models for different languages that promote the use of generative AI application while ensuring that those technologies respond to the priorities and realities of the region. Our effort must also promote open, inclusive, and rights-based digital governance. Frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact can guide the mitigation of technology— technological confrontation and policy divergence. Through multilateral dialogue as well as agreement. As the AI divide widens, peer learning is indispensable. South-South digital cooperation allows countries to share experiences, best practices, as well as innovative solutions for adopting AI responsibly. And furthermore, capacity building and technical assistance are equally necessary to address the adverse effects of AI and ensure a smooth digital transition. The recent High-Level Conference on Middle-Income Countries and the Makati Declaration underscored the importance of leveraging innovation and digital tools, and especially to scale up these skills among the middle-income countries. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madame. Now, for Mr. MacArthur, how can the international community better help middle-income countries overcome current financing and debt challenges? For example, what can be the role of MDBs in providing and mobilizing additional resources?

This, I think the essence of it is bigger, faster, and better investment, leveraging the new technologies wherever possible. If we look at digital technologies to start, and the digital public infrastructure movement that the UN has been so crucial to— digital IDs, digital payment systems, digital, uh, data exchange, We need better investment systems so that we're not building a new digital highway for each ministry in each country, but we need things like common technology platforms so that every country, every middle-income country, can quickly unlock the power of the new technologies for all its citizens. Many countries have this way underway. Very few have it underway at full scale. And the costs of doing it are still prohibitive because things like the World Bank procurement systems don't allow pooled investments. But we also have to think differently, I would argue, about debt. The debt challenges— and I'm influenced, to full credit, by my colleague Homi Kharas on this— the debt challenges are purely described as a problem. Debt can often be a major piece of the solution. We have a major confusion in the world saying we need multiple trillions of dollars of new investment, but where is the investment going to come from? In many, many cases, it will need to come through increased borrowing. The borrowing needs to be at a lower cost of capital and at a higher rate of return in many cases. Long— for a long time, the general theory was there's no pipeline of projects. Well, we now see around the world so many middle-income countries are building extraordinary pipelines of projects that are transformational with large multipliers for GDP, large multipliers for growth and resilience, but not the financing available to do it. This gets down to things like the debt sustainability analysis framework of the World Bank and IMF, which I think is generally acknowledged to be, to put it politely, highly imperfect. A recent assessment of more than 1,300 so-called country observations found more than 500 flags of default risk in the next year. Only 8% of these were correct. Meaning more than 90% were false flags around debt concerns that didn't need to be. This is an example of where we need to have more investment, often not less, but the investment has to be high quality. We also need to understand that, of course, the multilateral development banks need capital infusions. In the current moment of geopolitics, That's hard. But in the meantime, middle-income countries can do things like build their own fiscal councils to ensure that the myth of project pipelines is shattered, to show how the ROIs can be increased to unlock the growth and development and resilience potential that so many countries around the world have. Thank you.

I'd like to thank the panelists for their valuable insights. Now I would like to invite our lead discussant to take the floor, Mr. Naveen Gautam, of the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Recent Youth Group. Of the major group of children and youth,

and I thank the panel for the insightful comments. As a Dalit youth myself from a middle-income company, I have lived the harsh realities of structural discrimination based on work and descent. We also call it caste-based discrimination. The exclusion we face is not unique. It echoes across communities around the globe that are discriminated, such as Burakumin from Japan, Roma from Europe, Quilombola from Latin America, and Haratin Osu from Africa. And it's systemic, and it's deeply entrenched. Youth and children from these communities are denied access to quality education, decent work, healthcare, and digital inclusion, which is most important. Not because it's their fault, but because of where we have come from and the reason we belong to. And despite the challenges, we are mobilizing our communities. We are instead collecting and providing data, pushing policy, creating platforms for digital inclusion, and demanding dignity along with that. But this is not just a regional or a cultural issue, it's instead global. Discrimination based on work and descent is connected to the histories of casteism, and until it is recognized globally as such, and until we are visible and equal, we continue to be left behind. And so what we need to do first, as young people from middle-income countries, we recognize that progress has been made on meaningful youth engagement, and we welcome that. Several processes, including HLPF, SDG Summit, FFD, have guaranteed funding for the meaningful participation of young people. However, more needs to be done. We call for designated funding spaces and funding opportunity specifically for youth from the marginalized groups. Second, we feel that priority given to the middle income remains very limited, restricted when it comes to the formal UNGA discussions. This also needs to be changed. More spaces talk about— we need to have more spaces which talks about these form of discrimination openly at the UN, in the national parliaments, and at the global development spaces. And it's us who needs to change this. Me and you. Work and decent-based discrimination is often invisible in policymaking and digital inclusion. We need to have more representation instead of tokenism. And trust me, we are not passive recipients of development. We are already building alternatives from the ground. Me taking this stage and speaking here itself proves that we are already ready and prepared to rise and be part of the development actively. Jeev hi, opporoma, len thaay, salve, ughuru. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Gautam. Well, many thanks to the panelists and our lead discussant for your insightful contributions to this important session. In summary, a few key points stand out from what we've heard. First, while middle-income countries face common barriers such as entrenched inequalities, skill shortages, weak innovation systems, and vulnerabilities to external shocks, one-size-fits-all solutions will not suffice. Tailored country-specific support that considers each nation's unique context and priorities will be essential. There is a need, if I may suggest, for a strategic plan of action for MICS. Second, digital technologies and AI have the potential to accelerate the transition towards more innovation and productivity-driven growth models. Third, Many MICS require international support to overcome barriers and harness digital technologies, including through technology transfer, capacity building, and financial support. International cooperation and South-South cooperation is crucial in supporting digital transition in MICS. There is a need to go beyond GDP. To inform international development cooperation and development finance, including access to concessional finance. Fourth, and building on the first three points, there is a need to advance the elaboration of a UN system-wide response plan for MiCS aimed at better addressing the multidimensional nature of sustainable development in facilitating sustainable development cooperation and coordinated and inclusive support to MICS based on their specific challenges and diverse needs. I now give the floor back to the President for the interactive discussion.

Thank you very much, Antonio, my dear colleague, for doing such a good job. In asking the right questions, and I want to thank you for that. I also want to thank our two panelists very much for their comments, which I think we should all really reflect carefully on because they clearly show that there's considerable grounds for hope because change is possible, and within that change we can make— we can in fact make a difference. So I think it's been a very positive discussion. And I want to particularly pay tribute to the discussant, Mr. Gautam, for his comments. I think they're very, very helpful and important, significant. I can say as President of ICOSOC, I've been proud to work with the groups that have been discriminated against on the grounds of— in work, on the grounds of their descent, and I think it's been a me and education and a good ongoing discussion about what more we need to do to keep crossing these barriers of discrimination that still are built into too much of what goes on. We're now going to turn to the interactive discussion. I wasn't doing it to get applause, it's alright, it's alright. Although in my past I have been accused of doing that from time to time, but I did not do that. But thank you. We have a list that is full, so the first thing I'm going to do is say that after the first— well, I'll give you another 30 seconds, but after that the list will be closed. And we are keeping the limit to 2 minutes. It sounds painful, but believe me, if listening to the earlier round of speakers at 2 minutes, you can actually say a lot in 2 minutes. So just think about that. And probably one of the great speeches of all time, the Gettysburg Address, I think was just a little over 4 minutes. So, you know, if your speech is half as good as the Gettysburg Address, then that's good at 2 minutes. We're going to continue with the brutality of— the microphone being cut off because it's the fairest way to do it. However, having said that, there are two individuals who are with us who I think we can allow to have perhaps 2.5 minutes if they need it. I give notice to the timekeeper. Her Excellency María Luisa Hayham is the Minister of Economy of El Salvador. And we have the Guatemala Undersecretary for Strategic Analysis for Development, Hugo Allen Garcia. So with respect to those two special guests, we're going to give them two and a half and everybody else gets two. So I call on the minister from El Salvador.

Gracias, señor presidente. Gracias por esos 30 segundos. Thank you, President. Thank you for these 30 seconds. A very good afternoon, everyone. It's an honor to be here representing the Government of El Salvador. I thank you for organizing this valuable panel to address the opportunities and challenges that we face in middle-income countries. This afternoon, I'd like to share with you that over the last 6 years, El Salvador has been driving forward an ecosystem for inclusive and sustainable economic growth that is very consistent with what has been mentioned earlier, that is using technology to accelerate economic growth. It's a comprehensive strategy that coordinates more than 50 different public institutions. It seeks to remove barriers and harness new development opportunities, all of this under a shared vision focused on measurable results, providing the conditions so that large and small companies alike are able to grow and thus provide jobs. Among the areas that we're working on as part of this system includes the digitalization of administrative procedures with a modern regulatory framework that's digital, also working on logistics, human talent, clean energy, and access to markets. There are two areas that I would like to underscore this afternoon in the work that we're engaging in, in our ecosystem, precisely the work to scale up support for persons in a situation of vulnerability. We're working hand in hand with the World Bank to provide the tools that are required for our young people and our population to join the workforce. We're also working hand in hand with 14 government institutions and 7 trade associations to make headway in our agenda to facilitate trade to make us more competitive and thus to be able to increase investment, integrating ourselves more with other Central American countries. In El Salvador, we reaffirm our commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth. And to working together with local and international partners to be able to achieve our goals on access to finance, innovation, and capacity building. Thank you very much for your kind attention and for accompanying us in this process to build a new El Salvador. Thank you.

Muchas gracias, Ministro. Thank you very much, Madam Minister. Guatemala, please. Undersecretary García.

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, there are two sides to Guatemala's coin. One is the markets. We have the largest economy in Central America. Our debt is under control, and this has been confirmed by the IMF. However, the other side of the coin is our people, where Public investment is 5 to 6 times lower than that of our peers, and half of the population lives in poverty. This is the story of a young democracy that is fighting against a great paradox— being a middle-income country, a label that recognizes our success on the one hand, but on the other hand closes the doors to the finance that we need to bridge our large, wide social gaps. However, Guatemala is not giving up. We're on the march. We're already connecting the driving force of our economy with our people, engaging in close to 7,000 projects with communities to address the most vulnerable populations. And we're doing this with innovation, merging ancestral knowledge with modern science, as we saw today at the side event on the Day of Science. We are proposing a strategic alliance. We're asking to look beyond the labels, rather, and what we really are: a partner with a validated plan and with political will to implement it. Help us to break the paradox of financing. Let's work together for just conditions, for agile mechanisms such as debt cancellation for climate and social actions that will enable us to accelerate and multiply these projects across the country. Our commitment is to create one Guatemala where the driving force of growth drives the dignity of each person because our principle is clear, because dignity for people must come first. Thank you very much.

We'll go to Morocco, to the Ambassador Hilal, followed by Armenia. Followed by Turkey and then by the FAO. So Morocco.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for convening this annual special session on middle-income countries. Morocco aligns with the intervention of His Excellency Antonio Damil on behalf of like-minded group of middle-income countries. The Kingdom of Morocco believes that the challenges and opportunities facing Particularly in accelerating SDG implementation requires today more than ever renewed and effective cooperation within and with middle-income countries. The session of HLPF 2025 is key opportunity to reiterate the urgent need for establishment of specific plan of action for middle-income countries, which will tackle key development priorities for MICS, including digital cooperation and STI, and hence contribute to enhanced international development cooperation that is adapted to the realities of MICS. This call was persistently made by the LMG-MICS in the context of FFD4 and the Pact of the Future, as well as in the Makati Declaration of 2025 and Rabat Declaration of 2024. Excellencies, as a middle-income country, Morocco has embraced the digital paradigm shift by advancing robust strategies in AI governance and digital sector, thanks to a clear national vision that prioritizes human-centric, ethical, and inclusive digital development. We have committed to build capacity at national and African levels, strengthening digital public services, and ensuring that innovation is governed with responsibility and equity at its core. In this regard, we echo the LMG-MINCS call for three main recommendations for this session. Reform— first, reform of international—

I thank my colleague. I now turn to Armenia, Türkiye, the FAO, and Zimbabwe, and we'll carry on from there.

Thank you, Chair. As previously mentioned, middle-income countries are home to 75% of the world's population, accounting for one-third of the global GDP. This indicates that with the right support, middle-income countries have the potential to significantly contribute contribute to the global sustainable development and improve the SDG indicators worldwide. In this regard, we emphasize the importance of robust international cooperation, transformed UN development system and international financial institutions, as well as coherent policy measures to provide tailored support to the middle-income countries. We highlight the need for the elaboration of the Strategic Programme of Action for MIGS, which can provide a unique platform and framework for wider international support and cooperation for middle-income countries. We also believe that the UN programmatic activities in MICS should go beyond integrated policy advice and capacity building to promote access to technologies, infrastructure development, and welfare to ensure better response to their development aspirations. In this regard, the elaboration of a system-wide response plan for middle-income countries will be an important step towards need-based assistance to MICS. Mr. Chair, two weeks ago, the international community adopted a milestone document, the Compromise of The Sevilla, which will guide our efforts towards more inclusive, equitable, and responsive framework for financing for development, including for the middle-income countries. We look forward to the realization of the provisions in the document regarding the need for MIGS to be included in current debt treatment mechanisms, such as the G20 Common Framework, the commitment to scale up the use of debt swaps for SDGs, particularly for climate and nature, as well as the commitments to modernize trade-related infrastructure, expand logistics logistic networks, improve global competitiveness, and encourage targeted investments in facilities for MICS. In conclusion, let me reiterate our determination to collaborate with all partners to implement these commitments and accelerate sustainable development for middle-income countries. I thank you.

Thank you very much. I now give the floor to the representative from Turkia, followed by FAO Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Thank you, Chair. My statement will be about previous session on African countries, LDCs and LLDCs. Turkey attached exceptional importance to our relationships with and the needs of our African LDC and LLDC partners and friends. This spirit of cooperation is much needed to overcome the massive challenges of these countries. LDCs have long been a priority in Turkey's development cooperation policy, as demonstrated by its role as the host of the LDC-IV Istanbul Conferences in 2011. Building on this legacy, we are committed to supporting the implementation of Doha Programme of Action, and to this end, Turkey is proud to host the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries. The bank supports low-cost but high-impact solutions to promote science, technology, and innovation capacity in LDCs. Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TICA, maintains a strong presence across Africa, implementing sustainable projects in critical sectors to improve daily lives and bolster development impact. Includes strengthening primary healthcare systems and improving access to essential medicines in several African countries. Turning to landlocked developing countries, Turkey emphasized the importance of connectivity, both physical and digital. Our middle corridor initiative connecting Asia to Europe offers landlocked states alternative and reliable routes to global markets. The upcoming LLDC3 conference in Awaza will be an important milestone We support the AWASA Programme of Action, which rightly highlights the strategic role of SDI, digital transformation, and resilient infrastructure. In closing, Turkey remains committed to empowering LDCs, LLDCs, and African countries. Thank you very much.

FAO is next. Zimbabwe, Ms. Soto and the Philippines.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, colleagues and partners. Today we reaffirm our collective commitment to supporting African countries, LDCs, LLDCs and MICS in accelerating progress for the SDGs through resilient, inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems. LDCs continue to face profound structural challenges, low per capita income, weak human assets and high vulnerability to external shocks, all of which constrain their ability to ensure food security and transform agri-food systems. LLDCs, meanwhile, experience significantly higher trade costs—on average, 30% more—due to their lack of direct access to the sea, which limits their competitiveness and makes food imports costlier and less reliable. These constraints translate into persistent hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. In Africa alone, 282 million people were undernourished in 2023, accounting for more than one-third of global Nearly 3 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet, with LDCs and MICS carrying the heaviest burden. Stunting and wasting rates in children remain unacceptably high, particularly in regions facing protracted crisis or climate-related stress. To meet these challenges, we must act decisively. Building resilience to growing frequency and intensity of climate shocks is a top priority. Over a decade, from 2008 to 2018, disasters caused losses of more than $108 billion in crop livestock production and LDCs alone. The promotion of climate-resilient agriculture, including drought and flood-resistant crop varieties, improved water management, and agroecological practices is essential. FAO is also strengthening early warning systems and supporting anticipatory action, helping communities act before disasters strike. The launch of the new financing Shock-Driven Food Crisis Facility, or FSFC, DRC exemplifies a shift towards proactive financing. Evidence shows that for every dollar spent on early action, up to $7 can be saved in crisis response. With private risk financing and smart targeting, impact is even greater. Enhancing sustainable agri-food production must go hand in hand with resilience. Many of these countries place—

I regret that your time has expired. Thank you very much. Zimbabwe and Lesotho, followed by Philippines and then Italy.

Thank you, Mr. President. Allow me to offer two reflections as an African landlocked developing country. First, the AUSSA Program of Action for LLDCs rightly prioritizes infrastructure, connectivity, and trade. The Compromiso de Sevilla adopted at FFD G4 reinforced this through the proposed infrastructure investment financing facility for LLDCs, which aims to mobilize public and private capital for digital and physical infrastructure. We urge its swift operationalization, ensuring that financing is accessible and responsive to the needs of LLDCs. Second, the debt burden remains a serious constraint, many African countries spend more on debt servicing than on social services. This is exacerbated by the Africa risk premium, which inflates borrowing costs. We call for urgent reform of credit rating methodologies, for inclusive reform of international financial institutions to reflect today's global realities and support equitable development. In conclusion, Zimbabwe remains committed to implementing the AwasA Program of Action through inclusive national strategies and regional cooperation. Our vision of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 is anchored in policies that leave no one and no place behind. We stand ready to work with all partners to translate global commitments into concrete action. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. I now give the floor to Lesotho, followed by the Philippines and Italy.

Thank you, Mr. President. Both the Secretary-General report and ECA report on progress on the implementation of the SDGs in African states, the majority of which are least developed and landlocked, paints a blurry picture about their prospects of attaining the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. In this connection, in the spirit of leaving no one and no country behind, we continue to appeal to our partners to step up their support measures to assist us in accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in our vulnerable countries. Mr. President, at this juncture, please allow me to briefly share Lesotho's thoughts, on key issues that are central to Africa, LDCs and LLDCs. First, we need to execute action-oriented strategies, which strategies can consider and work together, which stakeholders can consider and work together on to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. As LDCs and LLDCs, it is our considered view that an urgent address of the widening development gap between poor and rich countries could also undermine the global solidarity that we need to tackle other planetary challenges like climate. Secondly, most African LDCs and LLDCs are battling with high unemployment levels. The situation is unbearable for our young people. More than half our young people are not in school, training, or employment. An urgent task at hand is to create decent jobs and livelihoods for youth, especially in African countries, and particularly for young women. I thank you.

Thank you very much. I now turn to the Undersecretary for Development of the Philippines, Rosemary Edion, followed by Italy and then the trade unions group.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Philippines highlights the important role of middle-income countries as drivers of global economic growth and sustainable development. MIGCs are increasingly taking a leading role in promoting innovation and South-South cooperation. However, despite significant progress, middle-income countries continue to face specific challenges and structural barriers that hinder growth, foster inequalities, and exacerbate vulnerabilities. The Philippines acknowledges that middle-income countries such as ours still require the support of the UN, the MDBs, and development partners. We need mature and mutually reinforcing partnerships geared towards addressing our unique development needs. Thus, we forge a new generation of partnership between our government and the UN. Specifically, we refocused our UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework towards programs and projects that support our development trajectory and transition to upper middle income country status, which we hope to achieve in the near future. We welcome outcomes in the Sevilla commitment. We also look forward to the work of the Secretary General's High Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP that was mandated by the Pact for the Future. We will be happy to share our own experience in coming up with Ambición 2040,, which is the life that we Filipinos want, which goes beyond GDP. Building on the outcomes of the Manila Conference, the like-minded group of MIKS and the UNIDO are convening the HLPF side event on enhancing productive capacities and industrialization on the MIKS, and this will be on 21 July. And so in conclusion, we emphasize the Makati Declaration's call for more coordinated and holistic approach. We strongly believe that the time for elaboration of a strategic plan of action for—

I apologize. Thank you, Vice-Chancellor. I now give the floor to Italy and then to the Workers and Trade Union Major Group, then to South Africa and then to UNICEF.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Italy is honored to embrace the call of the Secretary-General in his recent report published yesterday to move towards truly transformational pathways, in particular to food, energy, digital access, education, jobs, and climate to accelerate the SDGs. These priorities do indeed reflect those of the Italian Mattei Plan for Africa. Our footprint for cooperation with the African continent, based on dialogue, respect, and identity, recognizes specific challenges of LDCs and MIC. The Mattei Plan indeed puts emphasis also on the role of the private sector and the opportunity to build sustainable and inclusive partnerships to unlock private capital and work together with the international regional financial institutions, including the African Development Bank and the African Finance Corporation. Actions envisaged embrace activities such as the support to the Lubito corridor, the promotion of a strategy to develop the coffee value chains, and the strengthening of digital infrastructure to initiatives like the AI Hub for Sustainable Development. In parallel, we need to promote and implement a more integrated and holistic approach to technical assistance and capacity building to respond to increasing demand, and we also have to address the issue of debt in order to sustain all the initiatives above and to adopt debt conversion mechanisms mechanism fully aligned with national priorities that are really and truly catalysts for transformative investment. Allow me just to recall, Mr. Chair, before concluding, that Italy will have the honor to co-host with Ethiopia the second stock-taking moment of the UN Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa from the 27th to the 29th of July. And we look forward to work together on this global opportunity to move from commitment to delivery and make it a success. Thank you.

Thank you, Representative from Italy. I now give the floor to the Workers and Trade Union Major Group, followed by South Africa and UNICEF.

Buenas tardes. Mi nombre es Jamile Sokolov. I'm speaking on behalf of the International Trade Union Confederation that represents 200 million workers the world over, including from my country, Argentina. If we look at the strategies that are required to overcome the structural barriers that are a stumbling block to development and social justice in middle-income countries, of course we need strategies that achieve a transformation of the productive matrix and harnessing the wealth of our countries, and this requires state policies but also multilateral action from states. First of all, policies on labor and for workers that involve full employment and a guarantee for work in adequate conditions that respect ILO standards and that will provide a decent life for workers and people that depend on them. But we also need just and progressive taxation systems that particularly tax huge profits of companies and the richest individuals in our societies, and particularly the ultra-rich. And also on a global level, it's necessary to address the issues where resources are coming out of our countries. Trade unions are also advocating the establishment of a permanent multilateral mechanism to deal with the debt of countries according to the 2015 UN General Assembly resolution that establishes mechanisms that support sovereign development without extortive conditionalities and also a reform of the financial institutions, the IMF, the World Bank, to establish a financial system that is focused on principles of democracy, solidarity, and accountability to ensure that no country— that in no country we see what's happening in my country, Argentina, where debt—

and the speaker's microphone was cut off. Thank you. Muchas gracias. We turn now to South Africa, UNICEF, and España.

Mr. President of ECOSOC, thank you. We want to thank the moderators, panelists, and discussants of both panels for the very rich discussion, but we would like to address the first discussion that we had. We would want to agree with the panelists that indeed business as usual is not working and we need renewed commitment to address the ever-increasing challenges and that building or rebuilding trust in multilateralism through— can be done through implementation and indeed multistakeholder engagement. South Africa is pleased with the developmental project trajectory envisaged by the AWASA program of action that seeks to mitigate the unique challenges faced by the LLDCs. As a country with two LLDCs within its borders, Lesotho and Eswatini, South Africa recognizes that its fortunes and future are inextricably linked with its two neighbors. To accelerate inclusive economic growth and build resilience against economic and environmental shocks and address the impacts of conflicts, it is vital that regional social economic developmental frameworks such as the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the WASA Program of Action are aligned with global frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Our firm belief is that the use of domestic and external resource revenues, such as curbing illicit financial flows, maximizing natural resource rents, and full realization of ODA commitments represent appropriate financing and partnership models to mitigate persistent debt distress. Thank you very much. Very good.

UNICEF, Spain. UNICEF, please.

Today's discussions are a timely reminder that achievement of the SDGs must be rooted in equity and the promise to leave no one behind. African countries, landlocked, least developed, and middle-income countries are places where children are disproportionately affected by poverty, conflict, and climate shocks. In these places, our action or inaction define entire generations. Africa is currently facing its worst debt crisis in a generation, characterized by soaring debt-to-GDP ratios and unsustainable debt servicing that in some cases is forcing governments to spend more on repaying debt than investing in child-focused sectors such as health, education, and social protection. However, as included in Compromiso de Sevilla and UNICEF's own Africa strategy, there are practical approaches to to address these crises. First, political will. We must ensure that governments are prioritizing children in national policies. Children are paying the price for global budget cuts and debt servicing. Second, innovations and innovative financing. Given the increasing number of climate events and other economic shocks, innovative financing which bridges the public and private sectors, such as UNICEF's Today and Tomorrow and GIGA initiatives, are opportunities to build resilience and protect vital child-focused resources. Third, translating words into actions, we urge governments and investors alike to adopt Child Lens investing principles, to embrace risk-informed planning, to make fundamental changes to the global debt architecture, and to ring-fence essential services for our most vulnerable, for our children, especially in fragile and humanitarian settings. Because when we protect children, we protect hope itself. Investing in the youngest and most vulnerable yields transformative societal returns and builds resilience against shocks. We thus must invest in progress for every child, everywhere. I thank you.

Thank you very much. We go to Spain now, then to the Sovereign Order of Malta, followed by Uganda and Costa Rica.

Muchas gracias, Señor Presidente. Thank you very much, President. Very briefly, sustainable development for Spain is a continuous process that we're all responsible for. From the perspective of the 2030 Agenda, we can all consider ourselves countries in the processes of sustainable development. Spain defends the need to maintain links with developing countries that is not based only on their GDP because it's not necessarily a good reflection of the distribution of wealth between states nor of the levels of social cohesion or resilience of communities. Therefore, it's necessary to apply an approach that goes beyond statistical data and national means because often relative poverty and inequalities are more manifest and complex here. We're aware that middle-income countries face the double challenge of eradicating poverty and consolidating common well-being and multidimensional progress. It's a double challenge that is certainly huge, not only due to its magnitude but also given how subtle and complex it can be. We in Spain are a firm defender of all initiatives to benefit middle-income countries and we plan to engage in sustainable development processes with graduate countries in line with OECD and other criteria. We continue to look on beyond GDP measures and continue to engage in debates at the OECD and the United Nations on how to move towards this perspective, and we must draw on the results of the Seville Conference. It's necessary to renew cooperation instruments for sustainable development, including South-South and triangular cooperation, to be able to adapt to the multiple realities of developing countries. I'd also like to say that we have an intervention on the previous item that we will send to the Secretariat with pleasure. Thank you very much.

Muchas gracias. The Sovereign Order of Malta, followed by Uganda, then Costa Rica, then Chile, then Lebanon.

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, it is an honor to address this esteemed assembly today on the critical subject of Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals achievement in African countries, LDCs, LLDCs, and middle-income countries. Malteser International is the crisis response arm of the Sovereign Order of Malta, a faith-based humanitarian actor with over 900 years of service to the poor and the sick. We bring a perspective rooted in human dignity, solidarity, and practical action, recognizing that sustainable development is not merely a collection of targets but a call to uphold the inherent worth of every person. Despite Africa's abundant natural resources and vibrant cultures, colonialism, periods of conflict, and underinvestment have left many communities facing challenges such as malnutrition, limited access to clean water and sanitation, and inadequate healthcare and infrastructure. Yet Africa is also a continent of resilience, resilience, innovation, and hope. It is in this spirit that Malteser International seeks to partner with communities, building solutions that are locally led and sustainable. Through our work across the continent, from Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Burundi, we strive to strengthen healthcare systems, improve food security, enhance access to clean water, and support refugees and displaced people, particularly those affected by conflict and climate shocks. Distinguished colleagues, Africa's future depends on partnerships that transform commitments into concrete action. The Sovereign Order of Malta stands ready to continue our support for African nations and communities, working hand in hand to accelerate accelerate progress towards sustainable development.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta. I now give the floor to the representative from Uganda, to be followed by Costa Rica, Chile, and Lebanon.

Mr. Chairman, our protocol observed, having attained per capita income of $1,263 US dollars last year. Uganda is now a lower-level middle-income country, but we are cognizant of the fact that so many countries get stuck at that level. To avoid that trap, Mr. Chairman, Uganda is implementing a bold, robust national agenda under the Tenfold Growth Strategy with the target of expanding our economy from the current $561 billion to $500 billion by 2040. This, we believe, Mr. Chairman, will make us outgrow the middle-income status. And above status is being actualized by focusing on what we call ATMs, that is agro-industrialization, tourism, mineral development, science, technology, and innovation. And those will be supported by enabling factors like transport, health, water, education, and other services. Mr. Chairman, to accelerate the lasting and inclusive growth, we are mobilizing resources through broadening our tax base and supporting private sector investments through programs, the Parish Development Model, Small Recovery Fund, and Uganda Development Bank. The country continues to diversify, Mr. Chairman, Over the past 15 years, we have added 31 new products to our export market— export basket, including pharmaceuticals, ICT components, dairy, and manufacturing. Our economic complexity is increasing, Mr. Chairman, and we have digital transformation as our cornerstone for strategy. Mr. Chairman, we are also investing in innovation hubs and screening programs.

I thank my colleague from Uganda and I give the floor now to Costa Rica, followed by Chile and Lebanon.

Gracias, Señor Presidente. Thank you, Mr. President. Middle-income countries represent a fundamental economic bloc, accounting for 75% of the global population and generating approximately 35% of global GDP. However, we face the middle-income trap where obsolete criteria limit our access to concessional financing and multilateral climate mechanisms. In this regard, please allow me to underscore three aspects. First of all, there is an urgent need to implement a multidimensional taxonomy of development that includes indicators of vulnerability, fiscal sustainability, and institutional capacities. GDP per capita as a one-dimensional metric obscures distributive gaps and systemic risks that characterize these countries. Second, we need innovative financial instruments that are tailored to the particularities of middle-income countries. Debt for Nature swaps represent a mutually beneficial solution that enhances fiscal sustainability while generating positive environmental externalities. Third, it is imperative to democratize international financial governance. Middle-income countries must have effective participation in shaping global macroeconomic policies given our systemic weight in the global economy. Costa Rica proposes the establishment of a comprehensive roadmap that includes reforming eligibility criteria, developing hybrid financial instruments, and strengthening our representation in multilateral institutions. All of this is necessary to overcome the structural constraints that hinder our convergence towards high-income economies. Thank you.

You made it. I now give the floor to Lebanon. No, sorry, excuse me, it's Chile next. Chile. Chile. My fault.

Thank you, Mr. President. Despite the progress, middle-income countries continue to face structural limitations when it comes to accessing finance and cooperation, often due to metrics that do not reflect our reality adequately. GDP alone does not enable us to capture the persisting gaps in inequality, informality, infrastructure, or climate resilience, nor does it reflect our vulnerability to external crises, nor the efforts that a lot of our countries make to provide global public goods. We must move towards a beyond-GDP approach for— so that international financial architecture reflect the realities of middle-income countries and provide adapted measures to our capacities and needs. We need to move beyond the so-called middle-income trap. And this requires national strategies of structural transformation based on innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, and institutional strengthening. We are driving forward an agenda of productive diversification with an emphasis on added value, knowledge, and climate action. However, we are aware that these processes need to be coupled with conditions that enable this on an international level, including financing, technical cooperation, and access to technology. In this process, we are establishing differentiated mechanisms that enable us to better respond to our needs. Mr. President, Chile remains committed to more inclusive multilateralism that reflects the diversity of different paths towards development and enables us to work together towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. Thank you very much.

Over the last 25 years, some middle-income countries became poorer in terms of income per capita and are facing severe constraints in access to funding, technical assistance, and concession and concession finance. Middle-income countries need the attention and support of the international community, in particular lower-middle-income countries facing challenges such as rising inequalities and challenges such as conflicts and debt distress. Today, more than ever, it's essential to adopt measures of progress that go beyond GDP. As reflected in the Compromiso de Sevilla adopted two weeks ago, Lebanon looks forward to the elaboration and implementation of a specific interagency comprehensive system-wide response plan for middle-income countries by the United Nations Development System, as it was also mentioned in the QCPR. In the same line, we reiterate the invitation made in the Pact for the Future as well as in Compromiso de Sevilla for multilateral development banks in consultation with the Secretary-General to present options and recommendations on new approaches to improve access to concessional finance for developing countries with projects in middle-income countries. Lebanon focuses on the public-private partnerships and the role of MSMEs, especially to respond to reconstruction and recovery needs, in addition to work on integrating climate and biodiversity finance for sustainable development. Lebanon counts on the tailored context-specific support of the United Nations, United Nations system member states, and development partners. Middle-income countries need the international support in scaling up the means of implementation to achieve the SDGs, including in terms of capacity support, technology transfer, skills development, capacity building, innovation, and adoption of emerging technologies such as AI. We need to bridge the digital divide and technological disparities, including the gender digital divide. With the right support, middle-income countries are central and global drivers to advance sustainable development and the Agenda. I thank you.

Je vous remercie. Thank you. We now call upon the International Development Law Association, to be followed by Germany, Burkina Faso, and Jamaica.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Just a few comments. IDLO works with countries to build legal frameworks that attract responsible private investment that is crucial for economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development. Without clear, fair, and enforceable laws, investment may not be forthcoming or, worse, result in imbalanced agreements that undermine national interest and limit development gains. Public-private partnerships can play an important role in addressing these challenges. In 2019, IDLO launched an investment support program for the LDCs in collaboration with UN-OHRLLS, which was explicitly recognized in the 2020-2022 Doha Programme of Action. It provided assistance at no cost to LDCs from leading international law firms on a wide range of investment-related matters, including dispute settlements. The program has provided tailored support to 10 LDCs, and I will give you 3 examples. First, the Gambia, we helped resolve an offshore oil dispute potentially costing the nation $200 to $300 million. Malawi, we developed a joint venture model to improve agriculture partnerships. And in Uganda, we built the capacity of over 200 private sector representatives of law firms and industries associations on the implementation of FDI investments. While conceived as a dedicated program for LDCs, the model could be extended to other groups of countries, and IDLO looks forward to expanding this impactful work in partnerships with all of you. Thank you.

Thank you. Colleagues, I have 7 speakers left on the list who have not spoken before. So I'm going to stop the list after Unido, and I'm going to ask everybody else to come in a little bit under the 2 minutes. And the interpreters have very kindly agreed to stay a little bit past 6 o'clock. So if justice will prevail, if we Respect the clock.

Germany. Thank you, Mr. President. Germany recognizes the central role that middle-income countries, particularly emerging economies, play in tackling global challenges. To this end, Germany partners with 46 of the 104 MICs, as defined by the World Bank, through bilateral development cooperation, and we are committed to supporting our partner countries and to working together in multilateral fora to find solutions. We contribute to strongly support the use of development cooperation models such as triangular cooperations to facilitate the flow of knowledge on common challenges such as digital transformation, green growth, climate change adaptation, and beyond. For example, the Triangular Cooperation on Cashew Production successfully facilitated knowledge exchange between Ghana, Brazil, and Germany on the efficient and high-quality production of cashews, thereby improving the income, food security, and climate resilience of farmers in both regions. Germany is committed to the sustainable development of African countries, ADCs, LLDCs, and middle-income countries, and acknowledges the unique challenges of respective country groups. Each country requires tailor-made solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We are working nationally and with partners worldwide to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, committed also to using innovative approaches to leave no one behind. Germany is committed to a holistic perspective on the SDGs and to strengthening the fundamental principles of the 2030 Agenda. But all efforts can only be achieved through solidarity and cooperation. Stay assured, Germany will and

remain— Thank you, Germany. Now proceed to Burkina Faso,

please. Thank you, Mr. President. Burkina Faso is facing many challenges— security crises, economic shocks, instability, and climate change. We've chosen a sovereign development model that is indigenous and resilient, based on our priorities, resources, and mobilizing our people for a structural transformation that is far-ranging in our economy. We have promoted concrete initiatives in order to strengthen resilience in the security and social sectors through citizen contributions. Our national initiatives to improve the living conditions of our population through developing infrastructure and urban planning, as well as a pastoral and coastal— support initiative to support job growth. We also are making use of domestic resources in the technology sector driven by well-trained youth. Mr. President, Burkina Faso calls for a reform of the international financial architecture, as well as for responsible public-private partnerships and the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action and the Awaza Programme of of action. We remain convinced that African countries, LDCs and LLDCs, can move steadily toward the SDGs with strong political will and continued support from their population, as well as a sincere mobilization of the international community toward the development priorities that are defined in a sovereign manner by our countries. It is under this condition that we will be able to build a just sustainable future that is fully in line with the aspirations of our people. Thank

you. Thank you. Now, give the floor to the delegate from Jamaica, please.

Mr. President, the status of achieving the SDGs globally points to a picture of uneven progress, and the challenges being faced require innovative solutions and sustained efforts to support countries in special circumstances. We are witnessing a shift in the global development cooperation system and changing policy priorities of traditional donors with significant implications for developing economies and the availability of development finance to respond to implementation demands as well as emerging challenges. SDG acceleration is being pursued in a challenging context for middle-income countries, including demographic shifts, high debt, limited financing for sustainable development, confronting the negative impact of climate change and other exogenous shocks, whilst being home to majority of the world's poor. Systemic and structural challenges make clear the complexity of solutions that must be designed to simultaneously turn the tide, build resilience, sustainably manage debt, and promote economic growth and well-being of our populations. In these final 5 years of implementation and looking beyond 2030, multilateral solutions must remain responsive to our common issues but targeted to meet the needs on the ground. In this regard, Jamaica welcomes the adoption of the Compromiso de Sevilla, which lays a solid foundation for a reformed international financial architecture which leaves no country behind. We continue to advocate for increased access to concessional financing for developing countries and for the implementation of metrics by IFIs which look beyond GDP

I thank the representative from Jamaica and I now give the floor to Honduras.

Thank you. Muchas gracias. Thank you very much, President. In Honduras, we have strongly affirmed that people need to be at the heart of our actions to establish a more brilliant future for the whole of humanity through measures to combat inequalities within countries and between countries, including to implement social protection systems and human development systems with enhanced international cooperation. Given that around 75% of the world population lives in middle-income countries, this shows the need to focus on the well-being of people and not only on levels of national income. It's urgent to engage in tailored action plans. In the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, We had an historic opportunity to renew and strengthen international financial— financing frameworks in a global context marked by challenges, structural challenges and growing uncertainty. With joint efforts, we reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism with South-South cooperation, a reform of the international financial architecture focused on more inclusive The traditional growth models are inadequate for facing the current complex challenges such as trade barriers, lack of access to markets, and geographic isolation. Middle-income countries face a double challenge moving to achieve national development goals while we also respond to the impacts of climate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation. With limited fiscal space, it's difficult to comply with the climate commitments despite our own efforts. We reaffirm the need to have progressive fiscal systems that are efficient to address inequality and to increase yields. Thank you.

And now we have 3 more speakers. Belarus, a group on aging, and Unido. So I'll start with Belarus.

Thank you, Mr. President. We align ourselves with the statement of the Philippines on behalf of the like-minded states to ensure more effective, targeted, and coordinated support for MICS in their efforts to achieve sustainable development. The U.N. development system, we believe, ought to have a firm grasp of the problems that this category of countries faces. We believe that only systemic support from the U.N., international financial institutions, and regional organizations will allow MICS to overcome the so-called middle-income trap. In this regard, we note the development of the U.N. system-wide response plan for MICS, which— is laid out in the Compromiso de Sevilla. We also welcome the decision in July of the UNIDO Industrial Development Board to conduct evaluations and update UNIDO's strategic framework for partnerships with MICS, laying out concrete regional, cross-border, and country-level goals for MICS. We call for scaling up UNIDO's approach toward cooperation with MiKs to the entire UN system. We fully support collective pledges made by the Rabat Declaration 2024, as well as the strategic priorities of MiKs set forth in the Makati Declaration of 2025. This includes the initiative on the strategic plan of action for MiKs. We call for cooperation for their implementation to bring about justice, equality, and sustainable transformation as we strive to to achieve 2030 Agenda. Thank you.

Thank you, delegate from Belarus. And I'll give the floor to the Stakeholder Group on Aging.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. AARP is a member of the Stakeholder Group on Aging. Average global life expectancy has boomed from less than 50 in 1950 to over 73 years today. This is a massive gain of nearly an additional quarter century of life. This gift of time is happening all over the globe, and by 2050, 1 in 5 people will be over the age of 60. That's more than 2 billion people worldwide. While most every country will see a rise in the number of older persons, our latest research shows the most dramatic changes will be in low- and middle-income countries, where a whopping 80% of the world's older adults will live. Forward-thinking countries know that meeting the unique needs of an aging population will open opportunities. Those that plan will thrive. Those that plan for health, because healthy aging may add almost half a percent of GDP to growth. Those that plan for universal social protection, because through our economic modeling we know that social intentions benefit older adults, particularly older women, and have a measurable impact on improving overall GDP. Those that plan for increasing labor force participation, because supporting older people to stay in the workforce increases productivity. And last but not least, those that thrive will plan for older people's equality. 81 co-sponsoring member states took a step toward this in April in the landmark Human Rights Council resolution deciding to begin drafting a Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons. It is possible to build an age-inclusive society for sustainable development where everyone has the opportunity and the right to live with dignity and purpose. Thank you.

I thank you very much for that speech, partly out of self-interest, but for more reasons just than that. And the final speaker in the conversation this afternoon is Unido.

Thank you, Mr. President. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the landmark outcomes of all major conferences keep telling the same story: to achieve the SDGs, developing countries need to invest transforming the economies. The LDCs and LLDCs, the majority of which are in Africa, have seen limited progress in structural transformation and economic diversification. Over 80% of exports continue to be in primary commodities, making them exceptionally vulnerable to shocks. Supporting countries to build productive capacities and local value addition for increased self-sufficiency, job creation, and economic growth lies at the heart of UNIDO's work. Our 2024 Industrial Development Report emphasizes that every job in manufacturing continues to create, on average, 2.2 jobs in other sectors of the economy. Developing countries therefore need targeted investments in industry, and this has also been highlighted in the recent FFD4 outcome. Ladies and gentlemen, our interventions align with global frameworks. From the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs to the Avaza Programme of Action for LLDCs, prioritizing structural transformation. Currently, we're working together with the African Union Commission towards a fourth industrial development decade for Africa, or IDDA4, to support the continent's economic transformation. In November 2025, we will be hosting the next edition of our biannual LDC Ministerial Conference on the margins of our General Conference in Saudi Arabia in coordination with OHRLS. We're also looking forward to be playing an active role in LLDC III next month. Middle-income countries, MICs, are also important constituents of UNIDO. We are the only UN entity with a dedicated strategic framework for partnering with MICs, and just a few months ago, UNIDO was a proud co-organizer of the High-Level Conference on MICs held in the Philippines. Building on the outcomes of the—

Well, I'm sorry for the abrupt nature of some of the endings that we've had, but I do want to express my strong appreciation to Antonio for moderating the panel, to our panelists who have given us so much food for thought, to our discussant who has provided us with such a vital sense of some of the human challenges that people are still facing. And to all of you for your interventions. I'm sorry they could not be longer. I'm sorry they could not be more, dare I say, interactive, but it is a challenge of getting everybody in and giving everybody an opportunity to speak. This concludes— and let me thank our interpreters for staying a little bit late. I think we're all— Very appreciative of that. And we will conclude this session, but we will resume again tomorrow at 10 o'clock. Thank you very much.