Mrs. Exalgina Gamboa, the Secretary of State for Cooperation of the Republic of Angola, has informed that her Government is currently finalizing a National Status Report outlining measures to be taken on the road to graduation from Least Developed Country status by 2020.
UNCTAD along with other concerned UN agencies will be assisting Angola in reviewing and assessing the measures leading to graduation.
Secretary Gamboa will be invited to present her Government's plans at the next regular session of UNCTAD's Trade and Development Board being held in Geneva from 17 to 28 September where there will be an item on LDC graduation and structural progress.
The UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) at its 14th session in March 2012 found Angola pre-eligible for graduation from LDC status by virtue of enjoying a GNI per capita at least double the level of the graduation threshold.
Should Angola meet the income criterion again at the time of the next review of the LDC list in 2015, the CDP will most likely recommend graduation from LDC status. If both ECOSOC and the UN General Assembly, as expected, endorse this recommendation before the end of 2015, Angola's exit will take place three years later.
The CDP is a subsidiary body of ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council). CDP provides inputs and independent advice to the Council on emerging cross-sectoral development issues and on international cooperation for development, focusing on medium- and long-term aspects. The Committee is also responsible for reviewing the status of least developed countries and for monitoring their progress after graduation from the category.
The 24 members of the Committee are nominated by the UN Secretary-General in their personal capacity, and are appointed by the Council for a period of three years. Membership is geared to reflect a wide range of development experience as well as geographical and gender balance.
In assisting in the review and assessment of Angola's graduation measures, UNCTAD will be focussing on promotion of economic density of entrepreneurs, economic diversification, development of social infrastructure, and other basic infrastructural development.
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) category was put forward by UNCTAD in the late 1960s to focus international attention and action to reverse deteriorating conditions in the most vulnerable countries of the international community.
There are 48 countries on the current list of LDCs (33 in Africa, 14 in Asia and the Pacific, and 1 in the Caribbean). Only three countries -- Botswana (in 1994), Cape Verde (in 2007), and the Maldives (in 2011) -- have thus far achieved graduation.
UNCTAD's goal is to assist more countries to graduate from LDC status through their performance in the three criteria for graduation -- GNI per capita, human asset index, and economic vulnerability index.
