Kathmandu. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said that developing countries’ efforts to address and mitigate the impact of the long-running conflict in the Middle East are costly and cumbersome, and development priorities such as education and health have lagged behind.

The report found that low- and middle-income countries have protected their people, at least in part, from the sharp rise in energy prices through measures including fossil fuel subsidies, price caps and tax breaks.

The report said that most of the world’s poorest countries are in debt distress or at high risk of it, and interest payments consume a large part of government budget.

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said many developing countries were already in debt and had failed to protect their people from the negative effects of energy flows during conflicts.

Investments needed to build schools, hospitals and clean energy systems were being used to keep country’s economy dynamic, he said, expressing regret that no country was compelled to sacrifice its future development to manage the crisis it has not created.