Graduation of the Least Developed Countries as a Step Towards Sustainable Development - Patrick Guillaumont, FERDI

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) category was set up in 1971 to identify countries « caught in a trap » and to support them to move « out of the trap » . The category, if successful, aimed at the end to disappear. But after about half a century, the move out of the LDC category through the graduation process has only begun. It now takes place in the new context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The graduation of LDCs should then be considered as a step towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the topic of the present brief.