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On October 30, the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) briefed the LDC Sub-committee of the WTO on recent developments in the graduation of least developed countries (LDCs). Information was provided on the role of the CDP in regard to LDCs, the graduation process and timeline and recent developments and the situation of the countries currently approaching graduation.
The CDP Secretariat also addressed the issue of support to graduating LDCs, one of the issues currently in the CDP work programme. In addition, the briefing provided an overview of Gradjet, the new online platform on graduation. Subsequent questions from WTO members related, among others, to aspects of the transition out of the LDC category, awareness and the role of non-governmental organizations, the impact assessments currently being undertaken by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the work of United Nations in support of graduating LDCs. Questions revealed great interest in the graduation process and a call for a clear division of responsibilities on the matter within the UN system. The LDC Sub-Committee is currently chaired by the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands. The meeting was attended by around 80 representatives of LDCs, other developing countries and developed countries.
