The Least Developed Countries Report 2016

Graduation is the process through which least developed countries (LDCs) cease to be members of the LDC category, in recognition of their advances in development. In principle, it marks a shift from dependency to a greater degree of self-sufficiency and emergence from the development "traps" which beset LDCs. However, the loss of access to international support measures (ISMs) tied to LDC status at graduation can give rise to important economic costs, including an estimated 3–4 per cent of export revenues in the case of trade preferences. During the 45 years since the establishment of the LDC category, only four countries have graduated from LDC status; and the Report's projections indicate that the target of half of the LDCs graduating by 2020 is unlikely to be met. This partly reflects the inadequacy of the existing ISMs. The projections also suggest a fundamental shift in the composition of the group, which by 2025 will consist almost entirely of African countries and include only one small-island economy. The Report argues that graduation should be viewed as part of a longer and broader development process, and emphasizes the need for "graduation with momentum" - an approach which goes beyond fulfilment of the statistical criteria for graduation to lay the foundations for future development. This means prioritizing structural transformation of the economy, development of productive capacities, upgrading technology and raising productivity. The Report highlights several policy areas essential to achieve "graduation with momentum" - rural transformation, industrial policy, science, technology and innovation policy, finance and macroeconomic policy, employment generation and women's empowerment. It calls on the international community to contribute by fulfilling their commitments in areas such as aid and technology. It also suggests possible revisions to the graduation criteria to reflect more appropriately issues such as structural transformation, environmental sustainability and gender equality.

This series contains the decisions of the Court in both the English and French texts.

Graduation is the process through which least developed countries (LDCs) cease to be members of the LDC category, in recognition of their advances in development. In principle, it marks a shift from dependency to a greater degree of self-sufficiency and emergence from the development "traps" which beset LDCs. However, the loss of access to international support measures (ISMs) tied to LDC status at graduation can give rise to important economic costs, including an estimated 3-4 per cent of export revenues in the case of trade preferences. During the 45 years since the establishment of the LDC category, only four countries have graduated from LDC status; and the Report's projections indicate that the target of half of the LDCs graduating by 2020 is unlikely to be met. This partly reflects the inadequacy of the existing ISMs. The projections also suggest a fundamental shift in the composition of the group, which by 2025 will consist almost entirely of African countries and include only one small-island economy. The Report argues that graduation should be viewed as part of a longer and broader development process, and emphasizes the need for "graduation with momentum" - an approach which goes beyond fulfilment of the statistical criteria for graduation to lay the foundations for future development. This means prioritizing structural transformation of the economy, development of productive capacities, upgrading technology and raising productivity. The Report highlights several policy areas essential to achieve "graduation with momentum" - rural transformation, industrial policy, science, technology and innovation policy, finance and macroeconomic policy, employment generation and women's empowerment. It calls on the international community to contribute by fulfilling their commitments in areas such as aid and technology. It also suggests possible revisions to the graduation criteria to reflect more appropriately issues such as structural transformation, environmental sustainability and gender equality.

The Least Developed Countries Report 2013 analyses the employment challenge of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Demographic projections indicate that around 225 million people in LDCs will be entering the labour force until 2030. Hence, creating sufficient and decent employment opportunities for all will be a real challenge. However, recent experience shows that the link between growth and employment in LDCs is not automatic. The LDC Report 2013 aims to raise awareness and galvanize the attention of policymakers to the magnitude of the problem. It also reviews and analyses recent labour market performance of the LDCs, compares it with the future needs in relation to job creation, and elaborates concrete policy recommendations for growth with employment.

Contains an updated comprehensive explanation of the criteria, procedures and methodology used in establishing which countries are eligible for inclusion in, or recommended for graduation from, the least developed country (LDC) category. It also provides an overview of the special support measures that can be derived from having least developed country status.

Digital technologies are spreading rapidly, but digital dividends--the broader benefits of faster growth, more jobs, and better services--are not. If more than 40 percent of adults in East Africa pay their utility bills using a mobile phone, why can’t others around the world do the same? If 8 million entrepreneurs in China--one third of them women--can use an e-commerce platform to export goods to 120 countries, why can’t entrepreneurs elsewhere achieve the same global reach? And if India can provide unique digital identification to 1 billion people in five years, and thereby reduce corruption by billions of dollars, why can’t other countries replicate its success? Indeed, what’s holding back countries from realizing the profound and transformational effects that digital technologies are supposed to deliver? Two main reasons. First, nearly 60 percent of the world’s population are still offline and can’t participate in the digital economy in any meaningful way. Second, and more important, the benefits of digital technologies can be offset by growing risks. Startups can disrupt incumbents, but not when vested interests and regulatory uncertainty obstruct competition and the entry of new firms. Employment opportunities may be greater, but not when the labor market is polarized. The internet can be a platform for universal empowerment, but not when it becomes a tool for state control and elite capture. The World Development Report 2016 shows that while the digital revolution has forged ahead, its 'analog complements'--the regulations that promote entry and competition, the skills that enable workers to access and then leverage the new economy, and the institutions that are accountable to citizens--have not kept pace. And when these analog complements to digital investments are absent, the development impact can be disappointing. What, then, should countries do? They should formulate digital development strategies that are much broader than current information and communication technology (ICT) strategies. They should create a policy and institutional environment for technology that fosters the greatest benefits. In short, they need to build a strong analog foundation to deliver digital dividends to everyone, everywhere.

The Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report 2016 explores ways to adapt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to the unique circumstances, capacities and levels of development of the Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), collectively referred to as Countries with Special Needs (CSN). For that purpose, it proposes a unique analytical framework, based on cutting-edge methods from complexity science coupled with economic analyses, to guide countries on the prioritization and sequencing of the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the most effective manner. The framework allows for the identification of synergies, trade-offs and bottlenecks in attaining different Goals. The report also takes stock of the progress of CSN towards their respective global programmes of action, analyses the relationship between the programmes of action and the 2030 Agenda, and examines current perceptions of experts and practitioners from 25 CSN on how their countries should prioritize and sequence the achievement of the Goals.

Even as global economic growth accelerated in the first decade of the millennium, the LDCs remained marginalized in the world economy. The Report calls for the creation of a new international development architecture (NIDA) for the LDCs aimed at: a) reversing their marginalization in the global economy and helping them in their catch-up efforts; (b) supporting a pattern of accelerated economic growth and diversification to improve the well-being of all their people; and (c) helping them graduate from LCD status. The NIDA for LDCs would be constituted through reforms of the global economic regimes which directly affect development and poverty reduction in LDCs, and through the design of a new generation of special international support mechanisms for the LDCs aimed at addressing their specific structural constraints and vulnerabilities. Increasing South-South cooperation, both within regions and between LDCs and large, fast-growing developing countries, could also play an important role in a NIDA for LCDs. The Report proposes five major pillars of the NIDA: finance, trade, commodities, technology, and climate change mitigation and adaptation and identifies a forward-looking agenda for action in the NIDA for LDCs in these areas. It is intended to serve as a major input to the policy debate for the fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, in Turkey in 2011. Combining international support measures for LDCs with a new international framework for policy and cooperation that can deliver more stable, equitable and inclusive development is one of the most urgent challenges facing the international community today.