New assistance measures for graduating Belt and Road Least DevelopedCountries toward the achievement of Agenda 2030

Around 12 least developed countries (LDC) are scheduled to leave the category in coming years, more than doubling the number which have left the category in the 47 years since it was formed. Many of these potential graduates are concerned about losing access to the international support measures (ISMs) provided by the international community. After graduation, in some cases after a transition period, countries stand to face reduced support or forego access to support measures in trade,…

Recipients: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Timor-Leste, Bangladesh, Nepal
Partners: UN OHRLLS, UNCTAD
Donors: China
Status: Closed
Strengthening the capacity of least developed countries to develop evidence-based, coherent and well financed strategies to implement the 2030 Agenda

This project provided technical assistance to four least developed countries (LDCs), Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Lao PDR and Tanzania, on different aspects of their efforts to integrate the 2030 Agenda into national development plans and strategies. The work focused on areas that many countries have identified as a priority for technical assistance in their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs): policy coherence and inclusiveness (including aspects such as modeling, institutional arrangements and…

Recipients: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Lao PDR, Bangladesh
Partners: ECA, ESCAP, UNDP
Donors: China
Status: Closed
Helping Least Developed Countries achieve structural economic progress toward graduation

The project aims to help five Least Developed Countries (LDCs) (four in Asia, one in the Pacific) increase their chances of achieving structural economic and social progress toward and beyond graduation from LDC status. This, for the two implementing organizations, involves: (i) provision of country-specific analytical material on the implications of LDC graduation; vulnerability and resilience-building; and smooth transition strategies; (ii) relevant advisory services to policy makers; and…

Recipients: Lao PDR, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Partners: UNCTAD (joint partner), UNDP, ECA, ESCAP, ITC, WTO
Status: Closed
Institutional arrangements for policy integration, coordination and stakeholder engagement in SDG implementation and reviews in Asia, and Asia and the Pacific

Countries face common challenges in moving from siloed elaboration and implementation of policies to the formulation of integrated policies reflecting the interrelations across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing cross-cutting sustainable development issues such as poverty eradication, climate change and food security. To realize the vision of the Agenda 2030 of leaving no one behind and to ensure inclusive development, countries will also need to ensure more inclusive,…

Recipients: Lao PDR, Bhutan, Fiji, Vanuatu
Partners: ECA, ESCAP, UNDP
Status: Closed
Strengthening capacity of developing countries to achieve sustainable agriculture through the transfer of Juncao Technology and analysing and disseminating best practices and lessons learned for alleviating poverty, and promoting productive employment

Despite progress in reducing both the number of undernourished persons and the prevalence of undernourishment in recent decades, people living in rural areas have been left behind, with many continuing to face grinding poverty and hunger. In particular, smallholder farmers in remote and mountainous areas, drought and desertification- affected regions and small island developing states encounter constant challenges for growing crops, putting them at risk of poverty and hunger. The socio-…

Recipients: Madagascar, Tanzania, Central African Republic, China, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea
Partners: National Engineering Research Center of Juncao Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU)
Donors: China
Status: Active
Developing institutional capacities for digital data management and cooperation to advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals

Data and related issues and developments in the public sector have become increasingly important in terms of government analysis and operations, academic research, and real-world applicability and acceptance. Data are now integral to every sector and function of government—as essential as physical assets and human resources. Much of the operational activity in government is now data-driven, and many Governments would find it difficult, if not impossible, to function effectively without data…

Recipients: Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Namibia, Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa
Partners: UN ECA, UNCTAD, UN RCO, ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, UNITAR.
Donors: China
Status: Active
Enhancing the resilience, accessibility, and sustainability of infrastructure assets in developing countries along the Belt and Road initiative in support of the 2030 Agenda

The proposed project will enhance the resilience, accessibility, and sustainability of infrastructure assets in developing countries along the Belt and Road Initiative and in support of the 2030 Agenda. The main challenge it seeks to address is the lack of sustained and systematic strategies, policies and actions at the national and local government levels to ensure that infrastructure assets support inclusive, affordable and sustainable essential public services over their entire lifespan.…

Recipients: Kenya, Gambia, Costa Rica, Peru, Lao PDR, Nepal
Partners: UNDP; UN HABITAT; ECA; ECLAC; ESCAP; UNEP, UNOPS
Donors: China
Status: Active
Smooth transition beyond graduation for least developed countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific in a post-COVID-19 environment

The project aims to help six least developed countries (LDCs), two in Africa, two in Asia and two in the Pacific, that are either: i) assessed as eligible for graduation the first time and those close to meeting the graduation threshold; or ii) graduating and graduated from LDC status - to adjust their preparation for graduation in the wake of Covid-19 and to build greater resilience for a smooth transition in a post-Covid environment. The project offers dedicated capacity development…

Recipients: Zambia, Senegal, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
Partners: ESCAP, ECA, UNCTAD, ITC, WTO, OECD Development Centre, OHRLLS, UNCDF, EIF
Status: Active
Inclusive and sustainable economic growth in a society for all ages in the post-COVID-19 era in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.

This project’s objective is to enhance the capacity of governments in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean regions to develop evidence-based, intergenerational policies for inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the context of population ageing. The Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda highlighted the importance of strengthening capacities to understand and assess the future, building long-term intergenerational thinking into important policies and…

Recipients: Jamaica, Costa Rica, Colombia, Uruguay, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Maldives
Partners: ESCAP, ECLAC, UNFPA, UNRCs
Status: Active
Strengthening national capacities for enhancing MSME resilience and building forward better to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in developing countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative

Micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  MSMEs help reduce levels of poverty through job creation and economic growth, they are key drivers of employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship for women, youth and groups in vulnerable situations, and also make up the majority of the world’s food producers and ensure sustainable food production systems, they play a critical…

Recipients: Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Sri Lanka
Partners: ILO, ITC, UNCTAD, ECA, ESCAP, UNIDO, UNOSSC
Donors: China
Status: Active