The Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) contributed two sessions to the capacity-development workshop ‘Achieving structural economic progress toward and beyond graduation from Least Developed Country status in the Pacific,’ held in conjunction with UNCTAD in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 20 to 21 June 2018. The first session was on the ‘Gradjet’ website aimed at helping Least Developed Countries (LDCs) understand the process of leaving the LDC category. The second was on conceptualizing and implementing new support measures for highly vulnerable LDCs.

From 13 to 14 June the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) attended the Global Forum on Inclusive Trade for least developed countries (LDCs) at the World Trade Organisation Secretariat in Geneva, making a presentation on the impact of graduation from the least developed country category and on the Gradjet online tool, which builds the capacity of LDCs to navigate the graduation process.

On 12 June the Belt and Road project team met with the UNDP Regional Bureaus of Asia and Pacific and of Europe and Central Asia to present the project managed by DESA/EAPD and discuss potential opportunities for cooperation at the county and regional level. The project and the opportunity for cooperation was well received by UNDP. As next steps, follow-up discussions will take place at the country level in preparation of the upcoming project team missions in the selected countries.

Professor Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Vice-Chair of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), introduced the Committee’s Report on it’s 20th Session to the ECOSOC Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM) held on 12 June 2018. The CDP’s deliberations on LDC-related issues, including the CDP’s recommendations from the 2018 triennial review of the LDC category, the monitoring of the development progress of graduating and graduated countries, and the need for an incentives package of improved assistance to graduating LDCs were presented to Council members.

For some least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh and Nepal, moving onto a path of long-term prosperity requires structural transformation that expands production via manufacturing, services and higher-productivity agriculture. The UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP), using a series of case studies, identified some possible lessons from building productive capacity in countries that are about to graduate or have recently graduated from the LDC category.

The ePing toolkit developed initially by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) Secretariat has been credited by least devloped countries (LDCs) and development partners as filling a void, in particular for countries lacking the institutional infrastructure to access key information from trading partners regarding new trade product requirements. Since its official launch in November 2016, the system has had over 3,500 registered users in about 130 countries, and a number of bilateral donors are already using the system in their capacity-building activities in LDCs.

The report addresses the five themes discussed: (1) leaving no one behind; (2) the triennial review of least developed countries; (3) monitoring the progress of countries that are graduating and have graduated from the list of the least developed countries; (4) improved assistance for graduating LDCs; and, (5) reviews of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On 8 May 2018 the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) held a briefing on the results of the triennial review of the list of least developed countries (LDCs) recently conducted during the 20th Plenary session of the CDP in March 2018.

The briefing focused on the specific recommendations of the CDP regarding the countries recommended for graduation from the LDC category as well as on the recommendations regarding external support to countries facing extreme vulnerability to climate change and other environmental shocks.

Professor Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Vice-Chair of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), participated in the ECOSOC Integration Segment on May 1. Professor Fukuda-Parr stressed the need to address contradictions in the current systems in which technological development occurs, and the need for enhanced support for least developed countries, including those approaching graduation, to overcome their vulnerabilities.

At the invitation of Prof. Jin Sato of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Marcelo LaFleur, Economic Affairs Officer in the Development Strategy and Policy (DSP) Unit, gave a lecture to students on how the United Nations system is delivering on the 2030 Agenda.