Permanent Mission of India
New York
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Annual LDCs Ministerial Meeting

Statement by Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West)
26 September 2025

Excellencies, Distinguished Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I thank Nepal for convening the meeting and also the Chair, and extend warm greetings to all participants. As we assemble during the UNGA High-Level Week, we do so in the invigorating aftermath of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held in Seville in July 2025. The adoption of the Sevilla Commitment and the launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action offer renewed pathways to mobilise resources, strengthen debt sustainability, and reform the international financial architecture, building on the Doha Programme of Action.

Excellencies,

2. India stands in full support of these outcomes. We particularly welcome the commitments to double support for domestic resource mobilisation, enhance transparency in financial flows, ensure responsible borrowing, and catalyse private sector investment in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. These objectives mirror the aspirations we heard during the three editions of the Voice of the Global South Summit, held since 2023, where leaders collectively called for fairer financial systems, stronger South-South cooperation, and greater voice for developing countries.

3. India’s partnerships with LDCs are firmly embedded in this Global South solidarity. Through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, established with a commitment of US$150 million, we are implementing transformative projects in health, education, climate resilience, renewable energy, and livelihoods across LDCs and SIDS. Through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, India invests over US$150 million annually in training thousands of professionals from LDCs, strengthening capacities in governance, digital technologies, and sustainable development.

Excellencies,

4. Our collective journey from vulnerability to resilience demands not only solidarity, but also urgent delivery. The Global South cannot afford for Sevilla’s commitments to remain aspirational. We must see timely reforms in debt treatment, enhanced access to concessional finance, and genuine inclusion of LDC priorities in global governance. India reaffirms its solidarity with LDCs and with the broader Global South. We stand ready to deepen cooperation and to ensure that no country – especially those least developed – is left behind in our collective journey toward the 2030 Agenda.

I thank you.

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