Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed Countries

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Friday, 26 September 2025 - 10:00am to 1:00pm

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations under the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights,” Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face unprecedented challenges threatening to undermine hard-won development gains and the future trajectory of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) for 2022–2031.

The DPoA is rapidly approaching its critical mid-term review, scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 in Doha, Qatar. Implementation is unfolding against a complex global backdrop defined by overlapping and mutually reinforcing crises persistent conflicts, climate emergencies, rising debt distress, and widening digital divides. The current global poly-crisis has exacerbated historic inequalities, testing the resilience of LDCs and leaving nearly one-third of their populations below the poverty line, a rate three times the global average.

The global landscape has fundamentally shifted since the DPoA’s adoption in 2022. The cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating geopolitical tensions, climate shocks, and economic slowdowns continue to disproportionately affect LDCs, which despite representing only 15% of the global population—shoulder a disproportionate burden of poverty, vulnerability, and exclusion.

Recent developments highlight both the urgency and the opportunity of this moment. Outcomes from the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla including the Sevilla Commitment provide a renewed framework to address the $4 trillion annual SDG financing gap, while the upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development and the UN80 reform agenda underscore the demand for strong multilateralism, robust international support, and global partnership renewal.

Against this backdrop, the 2025 Annual Ministerial Meeting of LDCs is of pivotal importance. It presents a vital platform to take stock of DPoA implementation, identify persistent and emerging gaps, and mobilize strategic actions and partnerships needed to accelerate progress, strengthen resilience, and promote inclusive, sustainable development. The Meeting is strategically positioned directly following FfD4 and prior to the Social Development Summit to leverage momentum, collective commitment, and fresh approaches as the world prepares for the DPoA Mid-Term Review in Doha in March 2027.

The Meeting will convene Foreign Ministers and representatives of LDCs, together with the Friends of LDCs and development partners, will share both their successes and the challenges that have emerged amidst ongoing global crises.

The Meeting will serve as a forum to exchange effective practices and innovative approaches in implementing the DPoA; to collectively strategize on overcoming barriers to progress and building on current achievements; for Friends of LDCs to highlight opportunities to strengthen support; and to anchor the LDC voice and priorities in broader UN80 and global development discourse.