The mdgs and the latest developed countries: the challenges for landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.

• Author: Diarra, Cheick Sidi
• Position: Millennium Development Goal

When world leaders vowed at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 to "spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty", they recognized that special measures would be required for the weakest members of the international community to achieve this goal.

Thus the eighth Millennium Development Goal (MDG)--develop a global partnership for development--gave consideration to the special needs of least developed countries (LDCs). It called for tariff-free and quota-free access for their exports, enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries, cancellation of official bilateral debt and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction. It also addressed the special needs of landlocked developing countries and the small island developing States. Together, these countries constitute nearly half the membership of the United Nations. Meeting the targets of the MDGs at the global level, therefore, requires progress in these countries.

The attainment of the MDGs is the central pillar of the programmes of action for the three groups of countries: the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (2001); theAlmaty Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (2003); and the Mauritius Strategy for the Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (2005). At a minimum, these three programmes of action can be viewed as international frameworks for the achievement of the MDGs in the respective groups. However, while the rest of the world has made significant progress towards the achievement of the Goals, these groups of countries, particularly the LDCs, continue to lag behind.

According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2007, the number of people living on less than one dollar a day in developing countries dropped by 270 million between 1990 and 2004. In 2004, 20 per cent of the population in the developing world were living in extreme poverty, compared to 32 per cent in 1990. Enrolment in primary education increased from 80 per cent in 2001 to 88 per cent in 2005. Child mortality also declined. These successes call for celebration, as they demonstrate that with the right policies and necessary international support, the MDGs can be achieved.

Unfortunately, the same level of progress has not been reflected in the majority of the LDCs. Going by...