The Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category is prepared by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) to provide comprehensive information on the least developed country (LDC) categ
LDCs

On 17 January 2017, the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) is hosting a briefing on graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and support measures.?The briefing will provide information about current and future

The second edition of the Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (2015) provides comprehensive information on the least developed country (LDC) category, including a description of procedures and methodologies used in the identification of these countries, and the support measures associated with it. It builds upon and updates the previous edition published in 2008. Accordingly, the LDC Handbook is intended for the use by government officials, policymakers, researchers and others interested in the particular development problems and challenges faced by the most disadvantaged developing countries.
This paper aims to draw insights from New Structural Economics by applying its practical policy tool – the Growth Identification and Facilitation Framework (GIFF) – to least developed countries (LDCs) with a special focus on the case of Uganda.
The Committee for Development Policy (CDP) launched today the second edition of the Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures at a briefing in New York. The Handbook contains a detailed description of the procedures and methodologies used by the CDP in the identification of least developed countries (LDCs), as well as an overview of the international support measures associated with the LDC category. As a supplement to the Handbook, the LDC 2015 Country Snapshots was also presented at the briefing. The Country Snapshots is a compilation of one-page profiles for each of the 48 countries classified as LDCs in 2015 and illustrates the gaps in progress towards the LDC graduation thresholds for each country.
Many intergovernmental processes, including the Istanbul Programme of Action, the post-2015 Development Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, call for a significant increase in ODA toward LDCs. However, even if the commitments were fulfilled, their effectiveness could be minimal if no significant changes are made in the way in which donors allocate and provide ODA. LDCs are among countries with higher levels of aid-dependency, proliferation of donors and aid fragmentation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role that ODA can play in the development process of LDCs and the way in which aid should be allocated among countries.
CDP Background Paper No. 12
By Patrick Guillaumont
Structural economic vulnerability is a major obstacle for the development of LDCs.