Gambia Assumes Chairmanship of LDC Group as Ministers Push for Faster Doha Programme Implementation

By CTV Africa

NEW YORK, September 25, 2026 — The Gambia has assumed the chairmanship of the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at a high-level ministerial meeting held on Thursday, September 24, on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow, who represented The Gambia, now chairs the LDC Group, following the conclusion of Nepal’s three-year tenure under Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. The development places The Gambia at the forefront of collective efforts by the world’s least developed countries to advance their development priorities within the United Nations system. The Gambian government confirms Jallow’s position as Vice President of the Republic.

The annual meeting of LDC Foreign Ministers brought together government representatives, development partners and senior United Nations officials to assess progress in implementing the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) and prepare for its High-level Midterm Review, scheduled for March 25–27, 2027, in Doha, Qatar.

The meeting was held against a challenging global economic and development backdrop. According to the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, LDCs account for approximately 14 percent of the world’s population but less than 1.5 percent of global trade. The countries continue to face debt pressures, financing gaps, climate-related vulnerabilities, food insecurity and widening technological and digital divides.

UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Rabab Fatima, commended Nepal for its leadership of the LDC Group over the past three years and congratulated The Gambia on taking over the chairmanship. She also welcomed newly elected Bureau members Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sudan.

The discussions focused on accelerating implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, which provides the principal international framework for addressing the structural challenges facing LDCs during the 2022–2031 decade. The UN says the meeting was intended to strengthen a common LDC position ahead of the 2027 Midterm Review and identify practical measures to close implementation gaps.

Qatar, which will host the Midterm Review, also called for stronger international support for LDCs. Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Dr Maryam bint Ali Al Misnad, said overlapping economic, climate and food crises were intensifying the structural challenges confronting LDCs and urged greater international cooperation, concessional financing and investment.

With only four years remaining before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, participants stressed the need for renewed political commitment and faster implementation of existing commitments.

For The Gambia, the chairmanship comes at a significant moment as the country seeks to coordinate the collective priorities of LDCs and strengthen their voice in international development discussions, particularly on financing, resilience, structural transformation and sustainable development.

The LDC ministerial meeting was one of several high-level engagements taking place during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, which runs from September 22–28, 2026.