The Interim Secretariat of the International Think Tank for LLDCs in cooperation with the UN Office of the High Representative for Landlocked Developing Countries and UN Treaty section successfully organized a High level luncheon event for the Group of LLDCs in New York on October 6 on the occasion of the entry into force of the Multilateral Agreement for the establishment of an ITT for LLDCs.
The Multilateral Agreement has fulfilled the legal requirement of having a minimum of 10 accessions and/or ratifications from LLDCs in the Multilateral Agreement for the establishment of the ITT for LLDCs. Nepal acceded to the Multilateral Agreement on 7th of August, 2017 becoming the 10th member state of the ITT for LLDCs.
According to article 12.1 of the Multilateral Agreement, which states “The present Agreement shall enter into force on the sixtieth day after the date of deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.”, the Agreement will enter into force on October 6, 2017.
Having fulfilled all necessary legal requirements, the Interim Secretariat has started the transition process to shift from its interim management scheme to full operation as an intergovernmental organisation.
The event aimed at recognizing the entry into force the Multilateral Agreement and inform LLDCs about the next steps of the ITT for LLDCs.
The luncheon was opened with the welcoming speeches by H.E. Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, H.E. Mr. Sukhee Sukhbold, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the UN, and H.E. Mr. Lazarous Kapambwe, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Zambia to the UN.
The event was continued with the comprehensive presentation of recent activities of the ITT for LLDCs and official launching of the latest 5 publications of the ITT for LLDCs by H.E. Mr. Odbayar Erdenetsogt, Ambassador at-Large and Interim Director of the ITT for LLDCs.
The publications were:
1. International Trade Connectivity – Revisiting ‘Dutch Disease’: The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Diversification on the International Trade and Food Security of Laos,
2. ICT Connectivity – The Process of Technology Leapfrogging: Insights from the National ICT Infrastructure Development Journey of Azerbaijan,
3. Transport Connectivity – Modelling the Potential for Aviation Liberalization in Central Asia,
4. Bilateral Transit and Transportation Agreements of LLDCs: Benefits and Bottlenecks – Case India and Nepal,
5. Rethinking regional integration for LLDCs.
Also at the luncheon, congratulatory video messages from the partner organizations of the ITT, such as UNDP Mongolia, UNESCAP, JETRO-IDE, University of Sydney and ERINA, were played for the audiences.
