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The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is now accepting applications from LDCs to attend the 2013 conference at Bangkok in June. Two last-minute slots will be made available to two qualifying teams, and applications for those two slots will be accepted until the start of the conference (16 June 2013). Teams that are interested in applying are invited to contact FIRST at fellowship@first.org to obtain an application form. Internet emergency response teams in LDCs can apply until 31st October 2013 for participation in the 2014 FIRST Conference in Boston. Source: http://www.first.org/global/fellowship

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is a global community, bringing together a wide variety of security and incident response teams including product security teams from the government, commercial, and academic sectors. Its members have resolved a continuous stream of security-related attacks and incidents including handling security vulnerabilities affecting computer systems and networks throughout the world connected by the Internet. Internet access in the LDCs is continuing to rise, and provides great benefits to the population of these nations. Bandwidth and connectivity do bring problems along- greater access for miscreants to do bad things and greater need to...

UNITAR offeres an e-Learning course on United Nations Protocol (3 - 30 June 2013). This course aims to provide an overview of United Nations and multilateral protocol practices to guide the protocol practitioners who operate within the Offices of the United Nations at its Headquarters as well as in its numerous field Offices throughout the world. With the help of interactive online exercises, participants will finish the course with a concrete understanding of specific protocol-related situations. The course targets staff of the United Nations, mid to senior-level government officers in ministries, as well as staff of other intergovernmental / nongovernmental organizations. It...

Myanmar is the third Asian LDC (Cambodia and Laos are other two countries) to dedicate additional efforts towards graduating from the LDC category. A seminar was organized by the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development with the support of the local UNDP office on May 3 to consider the requirements and implications of the country's possible graduation. Source: UNDP Myanmar

Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and LDC at Centres of Excellence in the South is receiving applications. Deadline for applications is 31 July 2013. This fellowship programme is for female students from Sub-Saharan Africa or LDCs who wish to pursue postgraduate training leading to a doctorate degree at a centre of excellence in the South outside their own country. Each fellowship will be offered for up to three years and will cover the following: travel expenses; monthly allowance; visa costs; medical insurance. Source: http://owsdw.ictp.it/activities/postgraduate-training-fellowships

The Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) at the UNITAR offeres an e-Learning course on Overcoming Negotiation Deadlocks (27 May - 23 June 2013). This course aims to equip participants with practical skills to enhance individual negotiation capacity and lead through situations of deadlock. It will help learners to improve their negotiation performance in order to obtain better outcomes in bilateral and multilateral negotiations, but also to become brokers of agreements when solutions look impossible. Participants from LDCs are eligible to apply for a fellowship to cover the participation fee of 600 USD. Source: ...

This online course, from 3 June to 7 July, 2013, aims to facilitate international negotiations, public sector work, and diplomatic engagement in relation to climate change impacts and adaptation measures through an enhanced understanding of its science, the international policy framework, and the key negotiation issues pertinent to the UNFCCC process. Participants from LDCs are eligible to apply for a fellowship to cover the participation fee of $800. source: UNITAR online course description

In response to the lack of guidelines to support the transition of countries from the LDC category, a UN General Assembly resolution established a smooth transition framework in 2004 . The 2004 resolution does not contain any mandatory provisions. Instead, it invites partners to extend smooth transition measures to graduated countries. Since the adoption of the resolution, no phasing out mechanisms were introduced for most ISMs. A few exceptions exist. Notable examples are those from the EU related to LDC specific trade preferences under the Everything but Arms  initiative and continued access for a limited period to funding from the Enhanced Integrated Framework . In...

New York, Tuesday April 23 (from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Room S-2723). A training session was held for New York based LDC delegates. This session focused on online real-time interactive training and on further building capacity for using the Portal as a tool for obtaining relevant information and gaining better access to the LDC-specific support measures.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) offers e-Learning courses on Green Diplomacy and Mediation Skills. Participants from LDCs are eligible to apply for a fellowship.   • Green Diplomacy (29 April - 9 June 2013) Course fee: 800 USD - Application deadline 25 April 2013 This course aims to support the overall integration of environmental considerations into key diplomacy tracks by considering the substantive issues in question, understanding the gaps in existing policy frameworks and ongoing multilateral negotiations, and equipping negotiators with concrete tools and resources for advancing their environmental priorities in these respective...

By Namsuk Kim (*) There are a growing number of  financial support measures  available (in many cases, exclusively) to students and researchers from LDCs. Types of support are diverse, including support for getting enrolled in graduate degree programs, for participating in academic conferences, and for conducting research projects. Fields of specialization are also diverse, covering agriculture, business, economics, engineering, and information technology, among others. Notwithstanding the diversity of programs and providers, a common problem confronts them all: too few LDC applicants. As a result, scholarship providers have loosened the eligibility criteria and started...

New York, Thursday January 17 (from 12-2pm, Room S-2728). A training session was organised for New York based LDC delegates. The training focussed on using the interactive components of the Portal as a tool for obtaining relevant information and gaining better access to the LDC-specific support measures.

The UN General Assembly formally endorsed that the world’s 'newest nation', the Republic of South Sudan, be added to the list of LDCs, raising the global total to 49. See: GA resolution

On 7 December 2012, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on smooth transition for countries graduating from the list of LDCs . The resolution endorses several of the recommendations put forward by the ad hoc working group of the General Assembly on strengthening smooth transition provisions. The working group initiative had been mandated by the Fourth UN Conference on the LDCs which took place in Istanbul in May 2011. Graduation has been a source of concern for many LDCs. Despite the introduction of smooth transition provisions by some development  (for example, UN General Assembly travel benefits) and trading partners (the EBA is a case in point),...

New York, December 7 2012 - Today the General Assembly adopted the resolution on smooth transition for countries graduating from the list of LDCs . The resolution recognizes the importance of making available information about LDC-specific support measures and related smooth transition measures and requests the Secretary-General to further enhance information-sharing and understanding of available measures, their characteristics and modalities. The resolution also  commends the existence of the Support Measures Portal as a valuable comprehensive tool for online information-sharing, and encourages its continuous updating and improvement.

New York - November 29, 2012. Today CDP launched its second multi-year project to improve access and utilization of LDC-specific international support measures. The new project will address institutional constraints in accessing, sharing, and strengthening capacity of policy makers in LDCs to increase the use of trade-related support measures and their inpact on exports and growth. Information about the project can be accessed here . 

The following flow chart gives a graphical overview of how Member States contributions to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping operations are determinded.  

Under the current scale of assessment, contributions by LDCs to the regular budget of the UN are capped at 0.01 per cent of the total budget, while every Member State is required to pay at least a minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent.  At present, the scale of assessment is based on the following considerations: total GNI in national currency; market exchange rates are used, except in cases where that would cause excessive fluctuations and distortions in the income level –when expressed in US dollars-- of  Member States; averages are  applied (periods of 3 or 6 years) to in GNI, GNI per capita and other variables used  to avoid abrupt changes in the...

An increasing number of LDCs is anticipated to benefit from the cap imposed on the contributions to the UN budget . Looking at various reports by the UN Committee on Contributions over the recent years, it is interesting to note that the minimum floor has been imposed on a declining number of LDCs: 14 countries in 2007-2009, 12 countries in 2010-2012 and 11 countries in the upcoming period of 2013-2015. At the same time, the number of LDCs benefitting from the maximum cap of 0.01 per cent has increased: from 1 country in 2007-2009 (Bangladesh), to the current 4 in 2010-2012 (Angola, Bangladesh, Sudan and Yemen) to an estimated 6 in 2013-2015 (Angola, Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea,...

New York, November 16, 2012 - Special News Report - South-South News correspondent Connor Schratz reports about the LDC Portal and its benefits for LDCs: "Understanding exactly where countries are in terms of development and where more resources will be effective could be the difference between life-changing investments and a waste of time and money."  Source: South-South News