LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (LDCS) TAKE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001716 SIPDIS SIPDIS IO/EDA FOR JOHN TUMINARO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON SOCI UNGA UN SUBJECT: LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (LDCS) TAKE CONFRONTATIONAL POSITION IN PREPARATIONS FOR UN HIGH LEVEL MEETING ¶1. (U) Summary: Least Developed Countries (LDCs) continue to press for a contentious draft outcome document, which would require laborious negotiation, for adoption during the LDC High Level Meeting at UN headquarters September 18-19, immediately preceding the General Debate of the 61st General Assembly. The LDCs have rejected compromise proposals of partner and donor countries to replace a negotiated product with a consensus ministerial declaration, and asserted that they are prepared to call for a vote, if necessary, during the High Level Meeting (HLM). End summary. ¶2. (U) An experts meeting to review the Brussels Program of Action for a UN High Level Meeting (HLM) for Least Developed Countries (LDC) will take place September 5-7 in New York. An emerging intention of this three-day session is to negotiate an outcome document for adoption during the HLM on September 18-19. The LDCs, chaired by Benin, have introduced the Cotonou Strategy for further Implementation of the Brussels Program of Action (BPOA) as an outcome document to be negotiated during the experts meeting. Donors and partners of the LDCs, including the European Union, Russia, Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States, have advised the LDCs that the Cotonou Strategy does not constitue a realistic document for negotiation, given the short time-frame and notable length of the document (39 pages). Instead, donors have suggested that the three-day experts meeting be used as a forum to discuss implementation of the BPOA. They have also advocated that a non-negotiated consensus declaration be the outcome document of the HLM. The Cotonou Strategy was drafted and adopted by the LDCs during a meeting held in July 2006 in Benin. This meeting did not include participation of donors and partners. ¶3. (U) On August 31, the LDCs notified the co-chairs of the HLM, the EU and Norway, that the LDCs intend to stick to this strategy on the basis of an outcome document, and that they are prepared to also add a ministerial declaration for adoption on September 19. When told by the EU and Norway that such a negotiated document based upon the Cotonou Strategy was not feasible, the LDCs responded that they are ready to call a vote on this document, if necessary. ¶4. (U) Department may wish to consider whether to send a Washington-based official to deliver the U.S. statement during the LDC High Level Meeting. End text. BOLTON