Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to attend UN conference on LDCs in Qatar

Islamabad, March 4

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Qatar on a two-day visit beginning on Sunday to participate in the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the Foreign Office here announced on Saturday.

The conference, being held from March 5-9, will consider steps for accelerating sustainable development in the Least Developed Countries, helping them make progress on the road to prosperity, it said in a statement.

Shehbaz has been invited by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

At the conference, the leaders will mobilise additional international support measures and action in favour of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and agree on a renewed partnership between LDCs and their development partners.

In Doha, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings and interactions with participating leaders and heads of delegation on the sidelines of the conference.

Pakistan has been playing a leading role at UN platforms to amplify the collective voice of the Global South to promote sustainable development worldwide, the statement said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz’s participation in the conference will signify Pakistan’s support and solidarity with the Least Developed Countries, in their quest for social progress and economic prosperity, it said.

Pakistan supports reinvigorated global partnerships based on effective means of implementation, including within the framework of South-South Cooperation, to pursue the UN 2030 Development Agenda and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it added.

There are currently 46 economies designated by the United Nations as the least developed countries (LDCs), entitling them to preferential market access, aid, special technical assistance, and capacity-building on technology among other concessions.