The least developed countries (LDCs) on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to help them deal with the global financial and economic crisis.

"The vast majority of the world's poor in the LDCs have extremely limited or little capacity to cope with crisis and their vulnerability is exacerbated by climate change," Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, speaking on behalf of the LDCs, told delegates attending a UN high-level meeting here.

"These countries will need urgent support from the international community on a sustained basis commensurate with the impact of the crisis," she said.

The LDCs welcome the G20 London Summit decision to provide US$1.1 trillion to restore credit, growth and jobs in the world economy, she said.

"It is important that the financing needs of the LDCs are adequately met from multilateral as well as bilateral sources, and easy access to these resources would be key to the success of this stimulus program," Moni said.

The LDCs also supports "a comprehensive reform process to redress democratic deficits in the Breton Woods Institutions (BWIs) that have significantly lost their effectiveness and public support," she said.

"Significant redistribution of voting power in favor of the developing countries, in particular the LDCs, should be the overarching objective of such a reform," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2009)