Follow-up to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries A/RES/74/232 14. Urges the least developed countries and their development partners to make use of existing initiatives and programmes, such as the relevant min isterial decisions of the World Trade Organization on duty-free and quota-free market access for the least developed countries and on preferential rules of origin for those countries, as well as aid for trade, reiterates its commitment to increasing aid-fortrade support, in particular for the least developed countries, striving to allocate an increasing proportion of aid for trade to the least developed countries, in accordance with development cooperation effectiveness principles, welcomes additional cooperation among developing countries to that end, and encourages the least developed countries to mainstream trade in their national development plans; 15. Recognizes that the least developed countries face significant infrastructure gaps, including in the areas of transport, energy, water, sanitation and information and communications technology, and reaffirms the need to promote quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure and to enhance infrastructure connectivity with concrete actions, maximizing synergies in infrastructure planning and development; 16. Emphasizes that the acute energy gap faced by the least developed countries is a severe constraint on their structural transformation, and stresses that special attention should be given to the least developed countries, focusing on the specific sustainable energy challenges of the least developed countries with specific programmes and multi-stakeholder partnerships tailored to meet the needs of those countries, throughout the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (2014–2024), including UN-Energy, with a view to ensuring the realization of the objective of access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 and to addressing the infrastructure needs of the least developed countries; 17. Recognizes the significant potential of regional economic integration and interconnectivity to promote trade, inclusive growth and sustainable development in the least developed countries, and stresses the need to strengthen regional cooperation to improve connectivity and competitiveness, increase productivity, lower transaction costs, expand markets and enable the least developed countries to integrate into regional and global value chains; 18. Also recognizes that maintaining sustainable debt levels is the responsibility of the borrowing countries, while acknowledging that lenders also have a responsibility to lend in such a way that does not undermine a country ’s debt sustainability, recalls the need to strengthen information-sharing and transparency to make sure that debt sustainability assessments are based on comprehensive, objective and reliable data, encourages Member States to work towards global consensus and best practices on guidelines for debtor and creditor responsibilities in borrowing by and lending to sovereigns, building on existing initiatives, and underlines that the debt sustainability framework for the least developed countries should systematically take into account their structural constraints and longer-term investment requirements for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; 19. Expresses its deep concern that a number of the least developed countries are in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress 11 and that the ratio of debt service to exports has worsened sharply, rising from 4.2 per cent in 2008 to 9.4 per cent in 2018, underlines the urgent need to address the debt problems of the least developed countries, stresses the need for the international community to remain vigila nt in monitoring the debt situation of the least developed countries and to continue to take effective measures, preferably within existing frameworks, when applicable, to address the debt problem of those countries, including through coordinated policies __________________ 11 19-22505 See International Monetary Fund, Debt Sustainability Analysis: Low-Income Countries. 5/11