Investment Support Programme for Least Developed Countries

English | Français [1]

The Investment Support Programme for Least Developed Countries (ISP/LDCs) provides on-demand legal and professional assistance to LDC governments [2] and eligible state-owned or private sector entities for investment-related negotiations and dispute settlement. The Programme also supports complementary training and capacity building activities on demand.

The ISP/LDCs utilizes the services of lawyers and other experts, who are ready to contribute their expertise to the sustainable development of the Least Developed Countries. The ISP/LDCs was designed through collaboration between UN-OHRLLS [3] and IDLO, and was presented at the United Nations in New York at a special event held on 22 September 2017.

What assistance is provided? [4]

Download information [5]

Programme partners

We are currently accepting applications for assistance! To check your entity's eligibility, click on the

'Who is eligible' link below and start the application process.

Need help? Please contact us for any questions or help completing your application.

STEP ONE: Who is eligible [6]

STEP TWO: How to apply [7]

What assistance is provided?

The ISP/LDCs seeks to address the capacity constraints that LDC governments and state-owned or private sector entities may face in investment relationships with foreign counterparts by providing on-demand pro bono or reduced-fee assistance from lawyers and other expert partners.

The primary objective of the Programme’s support is to ensure that LDCs derive maximum benefit from existing investment opportunities, increase sustainable investment flows and promote greater economic diversification.

Learn more > [4]

Partners	[9]	[10]	[11]	[12]
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Announcements
	Recent report and presentations highlighting ISP/LDCs: The Report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020 (Please see paragraph 85) [35] The 2018 Ministerial Declaration of the Least Developed Countries (Please see paragraph 31) [36]	[37]	[38]
		News: IDLO provides strategic support to The Gambia in investor-state arbitration [37]	News: Investment Support Programme for the Least Developed Countries goes live [38]

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	News: 22 Sep 2017 - UN and IDLO launch new Investment Support Programme for the Least Developed Countries [41]	News: Launch of the Investment Support Programme for the Least Developed Countries: Summary of the debate [42]	Video: Event live webcast [43]
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	A briefing session on the ISP/LDC for representatives of the UN LDC Group took place at UN headquarters in New York on 8 November 2018. The presentation provided an operational overview of the Programme and contact information: English [46] \| Francais [47]	Publication: UN-OHRLLS - Legal assistance to make foreign investment work better for sustainable development in the least developed countries [44]	Publication: The new edition of the Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (Please see page 46) [45]