In an unsigned statement for a meeting of the UN Trade and Development organization (UNCTAD), the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva expressed concern about aid cuts to the world’s 44 least developed countries (LDCs), where 1.3 billion people live.
“Official development assistance (ODA) has decreased by $6 billion in just five years,” the Holy See Mission stated. “It is concerning that estimates suggest a further 20 percent decline in ODA.”
“Setting the LDCs on a sustained path towards development will require continued support from the international community based on the LDCs’ actual needs and requests, as well as strengthened domestic efforts to mobilize revenues and improve public financial management,” the statement added.