UNITED NATIONS – The wealth gap between the least developed and other countries has widened in recent decades and will go on doing so unless their basic weaknesses are tackled, a report for the United Nations said yesterday.
“In short, the ‘least developed’ condition has tended to generate ‘less’ development,” even though most of the countries concerned had registered some economic growth, said the report by a group of nine “eminent persons”.
A total of 48 nations, more than two-thirds of them in Africa, are classified by the UN as Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The rating is based on several criteria, including per capita gross national income of less than $905.
“We have come to the conclusion that despite some progress ... the gap between the LDCs and the rest of the world, including the low middle income countries, is widening,” the 43-page report said. It blamed this on poor education, health and nutrition, limited infrastructure, dependence on fragile agricultural sectors and a limited range of exports.
The panel said part of the responsibility for improving the situation lay with the LDCs themselves, which should negotiate better prices for exports, fight corruption and seek the return of stolen assets. But it also said foreign aid was a “fundamental ingredient” and donor countries should scale up their aid. – (Reuters)
