Accra 20/04/08  Civil society leaders called for major changes in approaches towards the world's poorest countries.  At a meeting in Accra on the first day of the UNCTAD XII meeting, LDC Watch President Dr. Arjun Karki said "development policies towards LDCs must be drastically overhauled".  This summarised the feeling of the meeting after it heard UNCTAD's Director for the Division dealing with LDCs say that the two decades of economic growth experienced by LDCs had not resulted in increased employment, nor appreciable reductions in poverty.  As a result the global food crisis was impacting most on LDCs and exacerbating their systemic instability.  Demba Dembele told the meeting that "increases in global food prices are hitting people hard in LDCs. Riots are taking place in many countries showing the feelings of ordinary people."

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