Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has underlined the need for collective and concerted efforts on the part of the international community to address the concerns and problems being faced by the world, in general, and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in particular, so that the current disparity in the social and economic development can be narrowed and the life standard of the poor lifted. Addressing the opening session of the fourth United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janerio, Brazil the other day, Prime Minister Bhattarai called upon both the developed and developing countries to focus more on resolving the problems of the least developed countries and raising the life standard of the tens of millions of people who live below the poverty line through global solidarity, collaboration and cooperation.

One important point the prime minister has raised is the need for devising an appropriate mechanism and system to ensure that the voice and concerns of the least developed countries are duly represented at all international forums. This would alone ensure sustainable economic growth, development and well-being of the people in the world on an equitable, just and sustainable manner. The international community and organisations must thus be directed towards achieving these lofty goals of lifting humanity out of poverty, backwardness and hunger. The ongoing conference is definitely a step towards achieving this goal. It will raise not only the issues and problems of the least developed countries but is also likely to help build a common viewpoint of all the poor countries on global issues concerning development.

Although there is an overwhelming majority of developing and least developed countries, their representation is not in commensurate with their population and number. Certain powerful and rich countries have heavy domination in the international forums and organisations, which has made the voice of the poor, developing and the least developed countries feeble and weak. In order to ensure better and more representation of the least developed countries in the international forums, it is necessary that there be change and restructuring of the United Nations system and other international bodies.

The people in the least developed countries live in sub-human conditions whereas the life standard of the people in the developed countries is simply too high. This disparity is growing every year. Despite the United Nations’ call to halve poverty in the world by 2015, the number of poor people in the world has actually grown instead of decreasing. As long as the world remains divided between the rich and poor, the goal of the United Nations to create a just, equitable and safe world would continue to be a pipe-dream. Thus, the world needs greater solidarity and collaboration to rid it of poverty and backwardness.