U.N. marks conference with March 5 souvenir sheet

By David Hartwig

The United Nations Postal Administration commemorates the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries on a souvenir sheet being issued March 5.

The issue date coincides with the first day of the conference, which takes place March 5-9 in Doha, Qatar.

The UNPA said: “The category of least developed countries (LDCs) was established by the General Assembly for the purpose of attracting special international support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the United Nations family.”

The United Nations’ list of least-developed countries numbers 46, according to the UNPA, and while 13 percent of the world’s populations live in those countries, their economies account for less than 2 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and less than 1 percent of global trade.

The three stamps in the sheet are denominated in three currencies: $1.45 for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; 2.30 francs for use from the post office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and €1.90 for use from the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria.

The stamps show geometric designs in the bottom left with the text “LDC5 2023” at the top. Each stamp also has an inscription in the center.

That inscription on the $1.45 stamp reads “From Potential To Prosperity” over a yellow background. The 2.30fr stamp has this text in French over a red background, and the €1.90 gives a German translation over a blue background.

The sheet’s selvage shows photographs of a sunset in Mali, a group of girls in Afghanistan, a woman in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and hands with coffee beans in Timor-Leste. The conference logo and United Nations logo appear on the left of the sheet along with text in English and Arabic.

The sheet was designed by the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, and the stamps measure 30 millimeters by 40mm.

The souvenir sheets are consecutively numbered, printed in a quantity of 16,000 by Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands.

For more information, visit the UNPA website; email unpanyinquiries@un.org; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.

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