The adoption of the ambitious post-2015 agenda centring on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September marks an opportune moment to suggest development policy solutions for the least-developed countries (LDCs).

The year 2015 is a turning point for international development policies in light of the ambitious post-2015 agenda centring on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) endorsed at the United Nations (UN) in New York in September. The Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July provided guidance on financing and other means of implementation of the SDGs. The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that will be held in Paris in December will have important implications for SDG implementation, as countries will try to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate. The 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will also be held in December in Nairobi, may deliver some decisions defining the international trade regime that will enable achievement of the SDGs.

From the perspectives of the least developed countries (LDCs), inputs for the mid-term review of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA), which is to take place in Antalya in June 2016, will be generated during the coming months. As such, the upcoming period is an opportune moment to reflect and suggest development policy solutions for one of the most disadvantaged groups of countries, the LDCs.

These events form the backdrop for policy development that will affect the LDCs. This country group has been facing a less propitious external environment as the global economy continues to struggle following the 2008-09 global financial crisis. As the LDCs become increasingly integrated into the global economy, scrutiny of their trade-finance linkages should provide valuable perspectives on policy options.

The objective of this paper is to explore the compatibility of the financing instruments and modalities mentioned across the major documents related to the post-2015 agenda with the trade interests and concerns of the LDCs. The paper is based on desk research, reviewing the relevant documents, literature, data, and statistics. It sequentially looks at recent economic and financial trends in the LDCs, documents of the UN and other international organisations related to the post- 2015 agenda, and policy options related to the deployment of specific financial instruments for improving the trade performance of the LDCs.

Implemented jointly by ICTSD and the World Economic Forum, the E15Initiative convenes world-class experts and institutions to generate strategic analysis and recommendations for government, business, and civil society geared towards strengthening the global trade and investment system for sustainable development.