4 UN conference on least developed countries
11 Mar 2010

Turkey will host a United Nations (UN) conference on least developed countries in 2011. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Friday in which it decided to hold its fourth conference on least developed countries in Turkey in the first half of 2011.

The conference will last for five days. The definite time and venue of the conference will be determined after consultations between the UN and Turkey.

High-level executives and representatives of private sector and non-governmental organizations of almost 49 least developed countries are expected to participate in the conference which will most probably take place in Istanbul.

Participants will discuss ways to enable least developed countries to end poverty and achieve sustainable development.
Turkey hosted the ministerial conference of least developed countries on July 9 and 11, 2007.

The First UN Conference on Least Developed Countries took place in Paris in 1981, the second was also in Paris in 1990 but the third was held in Brussels in 2001.

According to UN data, 33 of the 49 least developed countries are situated in Africa, 15 of them in Asia and Pacific, and one (Haiti) in Latin America and the Caribbean.