Abstract
In May 2011, the international community agreed on a decennial compact, known as the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA), to support the development of the least developed countries (LDCs). The purpose of the article is to review this compact and to contrast it with its predecessor: the Brussels Programme of Action. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, the article points to a number of novelties of IPoA, including the focus on previously neglected issues yet important for LDC’s long‐term development and significant influence on subsequent global processes in the way these processes address LDCs’ concerns and needs. The analysis shows, however, that IPoA carries over some of shortcomings of outcome documents of previous global conferences which it builds on. Also, its structure and options of target and goal setting result in a wedge between development aspirations and means of implementation. Advancing the development agenda of LDCs requires re‐committing to delivering some of novelties of IPoA and addressing its shortcomings in the context the outcome of the Fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs, which will be held in 2021.
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