UN warns of rising vulnerability to economic shocks in least developed countries

The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern that Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including Zambia, remain highly vulnerable to economic shocks, climate disasters, and shifting global priorities, despite progress in some areas.

According to the UN, nearly one-third of the population in LDCs—approximately 400 million people—live below the international poverty line, with poverty levels continuing to rise.

Speaking at the annual meeting of National Focal Points at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre on Monday, UN-OHRLLS Chief, Rabab Fatima, highlighted the severity of these challenges.

“LDCs bear a disproportionate burden of climate change, experiencing over two-thirds of global climate disaster-related deaths despite contributing just 3.3 percent to global emissions,” Fatima stated.

She also warned that geopolitical tensions and conflicts in some LDCs were further destabilizing their economies, while unsustainable debt—now at $774 billion in 2023, a threefold increase since 2010—was restricting growth.

“Declining development assistance is also severely constraining fiscal space for sustainable development,” she noted.

To address these challenges and accelerate the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action (DPOA), Fatima urged LDC governments to integrate the DPoA into their national development strategies.

She emphasized the urgent need for targeted capacity-building support, investments in education and skills development, digital transformation, and infrastructure to drive economic resilience.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, underscored the importance of fully implementing the DPoA.

“As we approach 2030, it is evident that many Least Developed Countries face significant challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Haimbe said.

He stressed that while the DPoA provided a critical framework for overcoming these barriers, its impact depended on full and timely implementation.

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