Bhutan to be recommended for graduation from UN’s Least Developed Country (LDC) category

The United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) has recently announced that the four countries will be recommended for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. These are Bhutan, Kiribati, Sao Tome and Principe and Solomon Islands. These countries are set to move up from the ranks of poorest nations due to their increasing national earning power as well as access to better health care and education. LDCs are assessed using three criteria: health and education targets; economic vulnerability and gross national income per capita. The Committee will send its recommendations to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for endorsement, which will then refer its decision to the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Apart from this, Chair of the Committee for Development Policy Professor Jose Antonio Ocampo stated that two more countries, Vanuatu and Angola, are scheduled for graduation in 2020 and 2021 respectively.