Pursuant to Turkey’s growing interest in global problems and its desire to extend its support to the least developed countries, it was decided upon the proposal of Turkey that the annual Ministerial Conference on “Making Globalization Work for the Least Developed Countries” organized on a regular basis by the United Nations be held in Turkey.

The conference will be held on 9-10 July 2007 in Istanbul.

The conference will address the following issues:

a) Trade and investment,

b) Energy,

c) Technology,

d) Agriculture.

The LDC group consists of 50 countries. 27 of these countries will be represented in the Conference at the ministerial level. Kemal Derviş, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Valentine Rugbawiza, Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization and officials from the World Intellectual Property Organization will also participate in the Conference.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey will participate in the opening session of the Conference and deliver a speech.