The Lesotho Permanent Mission in Geneva has raised concern to the government of Lesotho about its poor response to invitations by international organizations for participation on capacity building programmes.

            In a statement issued to LENA, the Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Motlatsi Ramafole indicated that this has been particularly the case with regard to the events organized by the World Trade Organisation and UNCTAD.

            Mr. Ramafole further stated that such programmes are usually fully funded and what is normally required from them is timely nomination of the country’s participants because of limited number of places on offer and resource constraints. However he said Lesotho as a least developing country is usually accorded preferential treatment.

            The Permanent Mission in Geneva informed the government that Lesotho has come under growing criticism  as a result of her poor response to the invitations.

            The Principal Secretary further asserted that other Lesotho Missions abroad have often raised similar concerns with regard to the country’s noticeable lack of absorptive capability in both technical and economic assistance offered by their countries of accreditation, but it is the Permanent Mission in Geneva which has raised the matter so poignantly.

            He therefore appealed to all the Principal Secretaries to be kind enough to respond to such invitations, lest the government end up not getting any more offers because it is perceived as lacking interest in such programmes.

  3 JULY 2002