The CDP Secretariat co-organized a workshop in Angola to discuss the country's LDC graduation and achievements in implementing the SDGs.

The United Nations Inter-agency Task Force on LDC Graduation held a two-day workshop in the Solomon Islands to kick-start the process of the country's preparation for a smooth graduation from the LDC category in 2024.

The CDP Secretariat participated in the regional workshop jointly organized by the WTO Secretariat in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Vanuatu.

Prof. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Vice-Chair of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), participated as a discussant in an Expert Group Meeting on Updating the Secretary-General's voluntary common guidelines on Voluntary National Review (VNR) Reports.

From 9 to 13 September the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) on graduation of least developed countries (LDCs) conducted a mission to São Tomé and Príncipe to discuss the possible impact of the country's graduation from the LDC category, scheduled for 2024.

Trudi Hartzenberg, Executive Director of the Trade Law Centre (tralac), discusses in her article the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and what it means especially for LDCs.

On 21 August 2019, CDP member Professor Ha-Joon Chang delivered the XVI Raúl Prebisch Lecture at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile. In his speech he proposed creating a new international economic order and called on developing countries to fight attempts to weaken multilateralism.

What happens when a country graduates? Must LDC graduates pay more to access development financing? What are the benefits of graduation? Is LDC graduation the same as becoming a middle-income country? Have any graduates slipped back? Find answers to these and more questions on the Gradjet portal under FAQ on graduation.

Speakers emphasized that the SDGs demand an integrated approach at all levels as no domestic policy can be detached from the regional and global environment in which it operates, and stressed that LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDs remain the most vulnerable to these interlinkages and global challenges, such as climate change.

On 16 July 2019, Professor José Antonio Ocampo, Chair of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), introduced the CDP’s 2019 report to ECOSOC to the Council’s High-Level Segment. Professor Ocampo stressed the CDP’s main messages on the theme of the Council (“Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”).