New Delhi
25 March 2006
India should follow Brazil and adopt at least one country in Asia for
mentoring, according to Mr Anwarul K Chowdhury, United Nations Under Secretary
General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Brazil has picked Guinea Bissau for economic and technical assistance. In SAARC
(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), there are four least developed
countries (LDCs.) They are Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives.
Mr Chowdhury told this newspaper that India, Brazil and South Africa should extend
initial assistance to the LDCs since they have agreed to cooperate within the UN system
and to help the developing countries.
During his stay in New Delhi last week, he held talks with Foreign Secretary Shyam
Saran and Additional Secretary (International Organisations) KC Singh in the Ministry of
External Affairs.
Incidentally, Union Minister of State for External Affairs will participate in the IBSA (India,
Brazil, South Africa) Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro from March 29 to 31 and
review trilateral cooperation and trade among them.
Mr Chowdhury sought India's support for reaching free anti-retro viral (ARV) drugs to the
LDCs. "India," he said, "can [redistribute her] excess capacities [of these drugs] by
supplying them free to the LDCs."
Recalling Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's remarks in August 2005, that India will
open line/s of credit to support production facilities for ARV drugs, the UN official
suggested setting up those facilities in the LDC countries.
He also sought the participation of Indian private sector companies to support certain
projects in the African LDCs. Also suggested was public private partnership (PPP) in
sectors like pharmaceuticals and food processing.
India has committed 600 million dollars between 2002 and 2010 for economic assistance
to the LDCs. India has also earmarked several hundred million dollars for technical
assistance programmes in developing countries.
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