The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are characterized by extreme poverty, weak economies, inadequate institutional and human resources, and often vulnerable to natural disasters.
The Third United Nations Conference on the LDCs (Brussels, Belgium, May 2001) requested the United Nations system, including WMO, to play a key role in the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) for the LDCs for the decade 2001-2010, which contains specific goals and targets in the form of seven action-oriented commitments. The full realization of the seven Commitments, in particular Commitments 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 will require the appropriate use of weather, climate and water services. In this connection, the Fourteenth World Meteorological Congress in May 2003 established the WMO Programme for the LDCs.
The Office for the LDC Programme and Regional Coordination (LDCR), which is part of the Development and Regional Activities Department, is responsible for ensuring:
- The development and effective implementation of the WMO Programme for the LDCs
- Regional Coordination, through harmonization and coherence in the implementation of the Regional Programmes, including support to common regional issues
- Coordination of the development and implementation of the WMO Country Profile Database
- Coordination of the development and implementation of the WMO strategy for the SIDS
- The promotion of WMO and NMHSs contirbution towards achieving the internationally agreed development, goals and initiatives, including the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)
