Like-Minded Group of MICS Adopts the Makati Declaration on Middle Income Countries
MAKATI 29 April 2025 – The Like-Minded Group of Middle Income Countries (LMG-MICs) adopts the Makati Declaration on Middle Income Countries on 29 April 2025 during the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs Conference), hosted by the Philippines.
Through its 19 member states, the LMG-MICs champions the collective interests of middle-income countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in discussions and processes at the United Nations (UN).
Today, MICs represent over 100 countries, encompassing 75% of the global population, 60% of the world’s poor, and 35% of global GDP. Yet they face persistent constraints, including high levels of inequality, poverty, unemployment, stagnant growth, biodiversity loss, disaster risk, climate change, high levels of external debt, and the digital divide, among other obstacles.
The Makati Declaration addresses these challenges by outlining the collective commitment and strategies of LMG-MICs to overcome the so-called “'middle-income trap” – a prolonged period of economic stagnation that prevents countries from advancing to high-income status. Since 2000, only 27 countries have successfully made this transition
The Declaration calls for:
- Reforms in global governance and international financial systems to support MICs' unique development pathways;
- New, multidimensional metrics of progress beyond GDP;
- Debt sustainability measures, climate action, and digital transformation;
- Increased financing for development;
- Inclusive development, including women’s economic empowerment, redistribution of unpaid care work, decent work, and support for the most vulnerable, including children, youth, and persons with disabilities.
It also emphasizes the need to enhance partnerships with the UN in a way that addresses the distinct needs of MICs, while reaffirming the vital role of South-South and triangular cooperation and recognizing MICs as key actors in global development.
The Makati Declaration builds on previous Ministerial Declarations of the LMG-MICs, most recently the 2024 Rabat Declaration on Middle-Income Countries, which pledged to develop a Strategic Plan of Action for MICs. It advances this commitment by laying down concrete elements of the Plan.
The two-day MICs Conference convened over 200 delegates from 24 middle-income countries, representing 77 stakeholder groups including the private sector and development partners, for a dynamic program featuring 1 High-Level Panel, 6 thematic discussions, and two special sessions.
The six thematic panels included topics such as financing for development, green transitions and climate action, south-south cooperation, new generation partnerships with the UN development system, empowerment and inclusion, and the transformative role of digital innovation and technology in driving sustainable growth.
The work of the LMG-MICs will continue in the UN Second Committee in New York, where they will begin the formal development of the MICs Strategic Plan of Action.
View the Makati Declaration here: https://dfa.virtualeventph.net/conference-documents/.
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