Background

This was the second mission of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on LDC Graduation (IATF) and was led by OHRLLS, DESA, ESCAP and UNDP in close cooperation with the UN Resident Coordinator and the Country Team in Honiara. The UNCDF, OECD, Asian Development Bank and PIF Secretariat also participated in the mission.

Established in late 2017, the United Nations Task Force on LDC Graduation is chaired by the Director of OHRLLS, Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox. It is a group of UN entities, which convene twice a year or more often as needed, with the goal to provide strengthened and coordinated UN system-wide support to the countries graduating from the LDC category.

The Joint UN Workshop in support of the graduation of Solomon  from the category of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was held at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara on 17 and 18 October 2019.  It was co-organized by the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on LDC Graduation in close collaboration with the Government of the Solomon Islands and the UN Resident Coordinator (Fiji).

The workshop was preceded, on 16 October 2019, by a meeting of the IATF and the Solomon Islands Government with civil society representatives to give them an opportunity for an interactive dialogue on the process of LDC graduation and its implications for the economy and people of the Solomon Islands. A brief summary of the discussion is available here [TBD].

In the morning of 17 October 2019, the IATF and the Solomon Islands Government organized a breakfast with private sector representative. A brief summary of the discussion will be available here shortly.

The Supervising Foreign Minister of Solomon Islands opened the Workshop. Several senior government officers including from the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC), Ministry of National Planning & Development Coordination (MNPDC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET), and Ministry of Finance & Treasury (MoFT) actively participated as panelists and engaged in the interactive discussions on the impacts of LDC graduation on the economic and social progress of the country. Representatives from over 15 UN agencies and other international, regional and sub-regional organizations attended and contributed. Over 50 participants attended the two-day workshop with the majority coming from government ministries, as well as civil society and private sector.

Experts presentations were made by members of the IATF to show the implications of graduation from the LDC category. Some LDC-specific support measures will be phased out, but the impact is expected to be overall relatively mild. On development finance, most of bilateral and multilateral donors have cooperation programs that would not be affected by graduation from the LDC category per se. Discussions also focused on the current economic and social challenges as well as environmental vulnerabilities facing the Solomon Islands. The government requested the IATF to assist in the formulation of a smooth transition strategy.

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OPENING SESSION:
Welcome remarks by Honourable Peter Agovaka, Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Solomon Islands
Welcome remarks by Dr Sevil Huseynova, WHO Representative for the Solomon Islands, on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator
Introductory remarks by Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, OHRLLS and Chair of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on LDC Graduation	ENG
Introductory remarks by Dr. Jimmie Rodgers, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Solomon Islands
SESSION 1: OVERVIEW OF LDC GRADUATION: COSTS, BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Moderator: Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, OHRLLS, United Nations
Presentations:
Mr. Oliver Paddison, Chief, Countries with special needs section, MPFD/ESCAP	ENG
Mr. Matthias Bruckner, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, CDP Secretariat/DESA	ENG
Dr. Jimmie Rodgers, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Solomon Islands
Ms. Jodie Nanuman Kapalu, Desk Officer, UN and Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, Vanuatu
Ms. Dentana Mckinnie, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Solomon Islands
SESSION 2: IMPROVED ASSISTANCE FOR GRADUATING COUNTRIES
Moderator: Mr. Berdi Berdiyev, UNDP Country Manager
Presentations:
Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, OHRLLS, United Nations	ENG
Mr. Namsuk Kim, Economic Affairs Officer, CDP Secretariat/DESA	ENG
Mr. Mohammed Mozeem, UN Partnerships and Development Finance Specialist, UN Resident Coordinator Office	ENG
Mr. Samuel Wara, Director, Development Cooperation Division, Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, Solomon Islands
SESSION 3: ACCESS TO FINANCE AND MOBILIZATION OF RESOURCES DURING SMOOTH TRANSITION
Moderator: Ms. Susanna Wolf, Senior Programme Officer, OHRLLS, United Nations
Presentations:
Mr. Matthew Johnson-Idan, Development Economist, UNDP	ENG
Mr. Yusuke Tateno, Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP	ENG
Mr. Abdoulaye Fabregas, Economist, Policy Analysis & Strategy Unit, Financing for Sustainable Development Division, Development Cooperation Directorate, OECD	ENG
Mr. Bram Peters, Programme Manager, Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme, UNCDF	ENG VIDEO
Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh, and Member of the UN Committee for Development Policy	ENG
SESSION 4: TRADE, PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY BUILDING AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE GRADUATION
Moderator: Mr. Oliver Paddison, Chief, Countries with special needs section, MPFD/ESCAP
Presentations:
Mr. Matthias Bruckner, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, CDP Secretariat, DESA	ENG
Mr. Joseph Maahanua, Trade Commissioner, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Solomon Islands
Ms. Atenasi Ata, Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce (SICCI)
BREAK OUT GROUPS ON:
1. Resource Mobilization 2. Productive Capacity and Trade 3. Institutional Set-Up for Graduation
SESSION 5: REDUCING VULNERABILITY AND ENHANCING RESILIENCE
Moderator: Ms. Margherita Musollino, Programme Management Officer, OHRLLS, United Nations
Presentations:
Mr. Matthew Johnson-Idan, Development Economist, UNDP
Mr. Chanel Iroi, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Solomon Islands
Mr. Aholotu Palu, PFM Advisor, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and GIZ	ENG
Ms. Elma Morsheda, Infrastructure Specialist, Asian Development Bank	ENG
SESSION 6: FORMULATING NATIONAL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES FOR A SMOOTH GRADUATION OF SOLOMON ISLANDS
Moderator: Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, OHRLLS, United Nations
Presentations:
Mr. Namsuk Kim, Economic Affairs Officer, CDP Secretariat/DESA
Mr. Nelson Ari, ESCAP Consultant	ENG
Mr. Matthew Johnson-Idan, Development Economist, UNDP
Ms. Jodie Nanuman Kapalu, Desk Officer, UN and Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, Vanuatu
Ms. Lyn Sidi, Permanent Secretary (Acting), Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, Solomon Islands	ENG
CLOSING SESSION: CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD
Rapporteurs From Break-out Groups:
Ms. Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, OHRLLS and Chair of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on LDC Graduation	ENG
Dr. Jimmie Rodgers, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Solomon Islands