| Overview : The Istanbul Programme of Action (IPOA) adopted at the Fourth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2011, constitutes an ambitious policy agenda agreed by the international community to address the challenges faced by the LDCs, based on the fundamental tenets of mutual accountability and enhanced international cooperation. It covers a ten-year period from 2011 to 2020. The overarching goal of the IPOA is to overcome the structural challenges faced by the LDCs in order to eradicate poverty, achieve internationally agreed development goals and enable them for graduation from the LDC category. It also recognizes that the LDCs represent an enormous potential for world economic growth, stability and prosperity. The United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 73/242, decided to convene the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government, in 2021, with the following mandate: • To undertake a comprehensive appraisal of the implementation of the Programme of Action by the least developed countries and their development partners, share best practices and lessons learned and identify obstacles and constraints encountered as well as actions and initiatives needed to overcome them; • To identify effective international and domestic policies in the light of the outcome of the appraisal as well as new and emerging challenges and opportunities and the means to address them; • To reaffirm the global commitment to addressing the special needs of the least developed countries made at the major United Nations conferences and summits, including in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework; and • To mobilize additional international support measures and action, in addition to domestic resources, in favor of the least developed countries and, in this regard, to formulate and adopt a renewed partnership between the least developed countries and their development partners, including the private sector, civil society and governments at all levels. | 
