By: Naomi Tappia
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio reiterated on March 5, his commitment to the collective and shared responsibility to uphold the principles of the United Nations and affirmed his country’s renewed solidarity in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and intensifying cooperation among Least Developed Countries, LDCs.
President Bio, who was speaking during the General Debate at the Fifth UN Conference on LDCs, also assured of the collective cause of the g7+ that Sierra Leone currently chairs, adding that that cause was already aligned with the Doha Plan of Action, which recognizes the nexus of peace and development.
“18 of the 20 g7+ countries are on the LDC list. This group of countries continues to be adversely and disproportionately affected by the current global crises. We, therefore, renew calls for debt relief and investments in connectivity and infrastructure that support economic diversification. Additionally, regional and global actors must support shared peace ecosystems while adhering to aid effectiveness principles such as respect for country ownership and leadership.
“Only by doing that can we achieve what this year’s theme promises – ‘from potential to prosperity.’ The theme, therefore, resonates with Sierra Leone’s aspirations. We are committed to implementing national strategies that are consistent with the Doha Programme of Action for the decade 2022-2031.
“We welcome the six focus areas that are aligned with Sierra Leone’s current Medium-Term National Development Plan (2029-2023). It will also be mainstreamed into our successor national development plan (2024-2028),” he said.
President Bio observed that the world had registered great transformation since the first UN LDC Conference in 1981, with some countries graduating from LDC status, but noted that the persistent structural global inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic, recent geopolitical tensions, global economic headwinds and disruptions had reversed the gains most LDCs had made toward achieving the SDGs.
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