Civil society organizations (CSOs) from around the world, in particular from LDCs and other developing countries, gathered at the Civil Society Forum of the LDC5 Summit | DOHA, 4-9 March2023

The participants explored a variety of issues of particular concern to LDCs and expressed commitment to engage with the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) and contribute to its robust monitoring and accountability.

Many CSOs participating in the Forum are rooted in local communities and derive strength and credibility from the diverse interests represented. Many of the constraints to an LDC’s ability to achieve sustainable development and sustainable peace are exacerbated by external factors, and civil society actors working nationally and locally are committed to working with colleagues in LDCs as well as regionally and globally.

In their deliberations, CSOs expressed concern about the abundance of false solutions or unfulfilled promises for LDCs. They called for respect of human rights and fundamental principles for the sustainable development of LDCs, primary amongst them the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities.

Many gaps remain between the goals and aspirations of LDCs and implementation. The DPoA “note[d] with concern that the LDCs remain marginalized in the world economy and continue to suffer from extreme poverty, inequality and structural weaknesses”.

Not only is the international community failing to reduce this marginalization, monetary and fiscal policies foster it. LDCs have only 3.5% voting rights at the International Monetary Fund, while they hold 24% of the votes in the UN General Assembly. The Bretton Woods Institutions and global financial system were designed when most of today’s LDCs were still colonies. Many CSOs support the calls for a new Bretton Woods.

Multilateral trade rules create some exemptions for LDCs, but the terms of their integration into international markets remain unfair. .

Further, the regulatory power of LDCs is often curtailed in the expansion of the digital economy. Trade agreements force LDCs to agree to free data flows, facilitate tax evasion by digital companies, and the moratorium on customs duties for e-transmissions perpetuates structural injustices.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the unjust response to it have further marginalized the ability of LDCs to protect their residents and exposed the inequitable allocation of life-saving vaccines and treatments.

And support is woefully lacking as LDCs must adapt to the damaging impact of the climate crisis, a crisis they carry little or no responsibility for creating.

Some of the lasting solutions will come from building on LDC strengths. As the CSO Forum heard: “Farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and local communities use agroecology to steward their land sustainably, produce nourishing food that celebrates cultural heritage, strengthens local markets and economies and helps solve the climate crisis.”

They add that: “LDCs face particular challenges due to limitations of finance, capital equipment, and infrastructure. A large part of their economic production and distribution depends heavily on human labour, paid and unpaid, and takes place in small farms, households, and small and medium enterprises.

“As in much of the world, both paid and unpaid work are deeply gendered, with women and girls having major responsibilities for the care work that is essential to human survival. At the same time, migration has often been a part of economic subsistence, engaging entire families and communities. Climate change, deforestation and land and water degradation and pollution push people to migrate, even as it becomes riskier and more fraught with threats and fear of violence. During the present time of multiple and interlocked crises, the pandemic of violence against women and girls is more pernicious than ever.”

“Building an “economy that actually cares” is a matter of ratcheting LDCs and all developing countries from the low road to the high road to sustainable development. The low road is one created by policies of enforced austerity, deregulation, and the undermining of human rights. The high road is one that protects and promotes human rights and human development for all to catalyze national socio-economic and structural transformation. This is the high road that LDCs need, want, and deserve.”