The meeting aims at contributing to the graduation process in LDCs, exploring how the process can be backed up by strong national strategies, while mainstreaming graduation into development cooperation strategies and linking effectively with midterm review of Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) and post-2015 development framework.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala opened the meeting, organised jointly by the Government of Nepal and the United Nations Office of the High Representative on Least Developed, Landlocked and Island States (UN-OHRLLS).

In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Koirala said, “We attach great importance to this meeting. This provides us an important opportunity to share our experiences in the implementation of the Istanbul Program of Action (IPOA) that was adopted by the Fourth UN conference on LDCs. As the then LDCs Chair, Nepal led the substantive preparations and negotiations from the beginning until the adoption of the IPOA.”

He said Nepal expected this meeting to contribute towards transforming the spirit generated in Istanbul into the Post-2015 Development Agenda with renewed vigour and sense of partnership.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOHRLLS High Representative Gyan Chandra Acharya emphasised the need for an increase productivity, gender equality, structural transformation and sustainable improvement in human and social capital in the LDCs.

UN Assistant Secretary-General Haoliang Xu pledged the UN maximum support to Nepal to make a stride to the developing country and implementation of development plans set by the Millennium Development Goal and Instanbul Action of Plan is the need of the hour.

Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission Govind Raj Pokharel were other speakers on the occasion.