Trade and Development Board

GROUP OF 77
GENEVA

G-77 and China Statement

Item 8: Activities carried out in the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries

(Geneva, 16 September 2026)

Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,

At the outset, the Group of 77 and China wishes to thank the UNCTAD Secretariat for the comprehensive report on activities carried out in the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries. We commend the quality of the analysis presented and the continued dedication of UNCTAD to supporting the Least Developed Countries across its three pillars of work.

2. The Group also wishes to acknowledge the statement delivered by the LDC Group. We reaffirm our commitment to standing by the side of the Least Developed Countries in their pursuit of sustainable development and structural transformation.

Madam President,

3. The Group notes with grave concern that, four years into the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, LDCs continue to face significant development challenges. Economic growth remains subdued, projected at 3.9 per cent in 2025, far below the Programme’s target of 7 per cent annual GDP growth. Public debt in LDCs reached 774 billion dollars in 2024, with more than two thirds of LDCs seeing public debt rise compared to 2023. The share of LDCs in global merchandise exports remained flat at 1.1 per cent in 2025, whereas of the Doha Programme of Action aimed to double the LDC share in global trade. This double trade diversification gap across both products and markets leaves LDC export earnings dangerously exposed to external shock

4. The Group is alarmed that official development assistance to LDCs is declining. Preliminary estimates for 2025 record a 25.8 per cent year-on-year decline in bilateral ODA from Development Assistance Committee countries to LDCs. The Group thus calls on developed countries to meet or exceed the target of allocating at least 0.2 per cent of gross national income as ODA to LDCs, as repeatedly committed. These commitments must be safeguarded from future reductions, particularly in periods of global fiscal consolidation.

5. The Group takes note of the positive trend in foreign direct investment inflows to LDCs, which increased in 2025 thanks to a reversal of negative flows in Angola. However, three quarters of LDCs saw stagnant or declining inflows, and investment remains highly concentrated, with the top five recipients accounting for just under 50 per cent of the total. The Group stresses that the persistent low share of FDI in LDCs and its skewed distribution highlight the ongoing challenges in mobilizing investment for economies with smaller markets and higher perceived risks.

Madam President,

6. The Group welcomes the findings of The Least Developed Countries Report 2025, which examines the growing role of services in LDC economies. The report rightly concludes that services are not a shortcut to structural transformation. Positive impacts materialize only when services are closely linked to other productive sectors, supported by investments in digital infrastructure and skills, and underpinned by active trade and investment policies, regional cooperation and strengthened multilateral support.

7. The Group commends the work of UNCTAD in supporting LDC graduation processes. Since the creation of the LDC category in 1971, eight countries have graduated, and four are scheduled to graduate by 2027: Bangladesh, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal and Solomon Islands; all of which have benefited from UNCTAD’s support. We stress that graduation is not an objective in itself; the improvement of people's lives is. UNCTAD has played a critical role in contributing to a development-centric approach to graduation, tailored to specific national conditions. The Group recalls paragraph 80.72 of the Geneva Consensus, which calls upon UNCTAD to continue providing support for LDCs, both those in the process of graduation or who have recently graduated, to ensure a smooth transitio

8. The Group also welcomes the progress made on UNCTAD's technical cooperation activities. In 2025, UNCTAD spent a total of 23.5 million dollars on technical cooperation activities related to LDCs, which represents almost 40 per cent of their total technical cooperation expenditure. This demonstrates UNCTAD's continued commitment to the LDCs. However, the Group notes with concern that UNCTAD assistance to LDCs remains largely dependent on extrabudgetary resources. Insufficient and unpredictable funding can pose a risk to the continuity, scope, reliability and effectiveness of support. We call on donor countries to support this work, including through financial contributions to the LDC Trust Fund, in order to, in line with increasing needs, ensure strengthened support to LDCs.

Madam President,

9. The Group wishes to underscore the importance of building productive capacities in LDCs. The report reminds us that limited productive capacities, weak structural transformation and inadequate infrastructure continue to constrain development prospects. We encourage UNCTAD's work on the Productive Capacities Index and its national capacity-building workshopsin countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Cambodia.These efforts must be scaled up to enable LDCs to diversify their economies, reduce commodity dependence and build resilience against external shocks.

10. Additionally, The Group welcomes UNCTAD's continued support for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, including through the non-tariff barriers reporting and monitoring tool, as well as the My Africa Cross Border Trade Assistant mobile application, which supports informal traders in accessing market information and finance.

11. On competition and consumer policies, the Group congratulates Timor-Leste on the adoption of its first competition law, with UNCTAD support, and welcomes the voluntary peer review of consumer protection law and policy in Angola.

In closing,

12. The Group of 77 and China reaffirms our solidarity with the Least Developed Countries. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of multilateralism and the mandate of UNCTAD, and to the implementation of UNCTAD outcomes, including the Bridgetown Covenant and the Doha Programme of Action. The Group stresses that a viable and prosperous future for the Least Developed Countries is a precondition for a just and equitable global order.