​The United Nations (UN) Least Development Country (LDC) conference in 2011 adopted the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPOA) to be implemented by LDCs and development partners (which include traditional donors and emerging developing countries) to improve the economic and social conditions in the worlds poorest countries. The programme foresees favourable measures for LDCs in international trade, development financing and technical assistance, building up productive capacity etc. However, the goals and targest as specified in the IPoA are in most cases not concretly defined. this chapter seeks to address this shortcoming and suggests ans approach towards monitoring progress vis-a-vis quantifiable targets that corespond to the objectives sought by IPoA.

Yurendra Basnett, Jodie Keane and Dirk Willem te Velde