Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission of Nepal Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha delivered a statement on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the General Debate of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).

He attended the Opening of the three-day High-level Ministerial Segment of the Forum earlier the same day. Addressing the General Debate, Hon. Dr. Shrestha highlighted the impacts of multiple crises on LDCs and underscored the key priorities for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in the LDCs.

Dr. Shrestha urged the global community to rally behind the Doha Program of Action for LDCs to ensure its full and timely implementation and support LDCs to achieve structural transformation through innovation and technology transfer. He emphasized the importance of multilateralism and the need for the reform of global financial architecture.

Vice Chairman also called to the global community for the allocation of SDG Stimulus to support the implementation of SDGs as well as for mobilizing SDRs worth 100 billion dollars for the LDCs. ‘The LDCs must be the center of the global focus: SDGs will succeed if LDCs succeed’, he further emphasized.

Vice Chairman is scheduled to deliver the country statement in the Forum later during the event.

Dr. Shrestha arrived in New York on 13 July 2023 leading a Nepali delegation to the High-level Political Forum. The delegation includes Prakash Pantha, Member of Federal Parliament and Chair of the Sustainable Development and Good Governance Committee of the National Assembly, Mahesh Kumar Bartaula and Madhav Sapkota, Members of the House of Representatives of Federal Parliament, Secretaries and officials of the Government of Nepal and officials of the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations.

This year’s HLPF is being held at the UN Headquarters from 10 to 19 July 2023 under the theme “Accelerating the recovery from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”.