缅北禁地

Graduation process and the CDP

How to prepare for graduation

Where are countries in the process?

CDP periodically reviews all LDCs to determine which might meet the graduation criteria

Before meeting the Committee for Development Policy (CDP)'s graduation criteria

Countries can start preparing for graduation even before they have met the graduation criteria:

• Ensure relevant government bodies and other stakeholders are familiar with the graduation process. 
• Ensure they are making full use of the . 

Country meets the graduation criteria for the first time - Year 0 (e.g. 2021)

• Every three years the CDP dedicates a session in its plenary meeting to the review of the LDC category. The last triennial review took place in February 2021; the next will be held in 2024.
• During this triennial review, the CDP reviews the performance of all LDCs against the graduation criteria. A group of CDP members will have met a few weeks earlier to analyze, with support from the CDP secretariat, the data and prepare the information for the review by the full CDP membership.
• If a country is found to meet the graduation criteria, the CDP notifies the government and informs ECOSOC.

Between triennial reviews - information gathering and beginning of preparations in the country - Year 0-3 (e.g. 2021-2024)

• Information gathering by the UN. After the triennial review, the 缅北禁地Department of Economic and Social Affairs (缅北禁地DESA) and UNCTAD start working on analyses of the potential impacts of graduation and of the country's vulnerabilities. This information, along with indicators and inputs from other parts of the 缅北禁地system, is consolidated in a "graduation assessment" presented to the CDP ahead of its next triennial review.
• Beginning of preparations by the government.  Once the country has been notified that it met the graduation criteria, it may wish to begin to prepare for future graduation.  Suggested actions () include raising awareness, building capacity, engaging with stakeholders and international partners and starting the preparation of a smooth transition strategy. 
• by the CDP. In the two CDP Plenary meetings in the years between the triennial reviews, the CDP will monitor the country's performance on the LDC indicators as well as on supplementary indicators. 

After meeting the graduation criteria for the first time - Years 0-3

• Designate a graduation focal point who can lead preparations and serve as liaison between the relevant government and 缅北禁地entities. 
• Raise awareness on graduation within the relevant areas of government and among other stakeholders. The CDP Secretariat and the 缅北禁地Resident Coordinator's office in the country can assist in these efforts.
• Collaborate with the 缅北禁地on analyses of the impacts of graduation and of vulnerabilities that will be conducted in order to inform the CDP's decision.
• Continue to make the best use of the  and start considering the implications of their loss in future. The UN's assessment of impacts can be a resource for this.  
• Hold consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector in potentially affected industries, to discuss expected impacts and possible mitigation measures. For instance companies likely to be affected by the loss of trade preferences need to know in advance what this might mean for their exports, and they and government need to plan accordingly.
• Introduce the issue of graduation in consultative mechanisms with development and trading partners, or create a specific consultative mechanism on graduation.
  
  • Cabo Verde set up a donor support group (Grupo de Apoio à Transi??o - GAT) as well as a Budget Support Group composed of Government entities and development partners to align and harmonize donor support around the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
• Start to develop a smooth transition strategy [more here or can it be in the next step?] to ensure that the phasing out of LDC-specific support does not disrupt development (see below). 
• WHAT KIND OF REPORTING IS EXPECTED FROM THESE COUNTRIES
• Start engaging with the main trade and development partners to understand and minimize the expected impacts of graduation.
  
  • For example, countries that use the European Union's Everything-But-Arms scheme may consider engaging with the EU to assess their eligibility for the GSP+ scheme.

Countries that met the graduation criteria for the first time in 2021 (will be assessed at the 2024 Triennial Review)

Countries that have met the graduation criteria twice or more, but have been deferred by the CDP (will be assessed at the 2024 Triennial Review)

Country meets the graduation criteria again at the next CDP triennial review - Year 3 (e.g. 2024)

• A group of CDP members meets a few weeks before the triennial review. For countries that meet the graduation criteria a second consecutive time, the group reviews the graduation assessment, supplementary indicators, and any other relevant inputs. A representative of the government is invited to share the government's views on graduation.
• The government is subsequently asked to submit its views and any additional information it wishes to bring to the attention of the CDP in writing.
• At the CDP plenary meeting, a session is dedicated to the triennial review. The full CDP membership reviews the results of the preparatory meeting and the government views.
  
  • The CDP may recommend the graduation of countries that meet the criteria at this second triennial review. It does this through its report to ECOSOC (see the case of Bangladesh here). 
  • The CDP may decide not to recommend a country that has met the criteria for the second time if it has serious concerns (for example, regarding the sustainability of the country’s development progress - see the case of Timor-Leste here). In this case the CDP would normally defer the decision to the next triennial review.
  • If the country has not met the criteria, no further action is taken other than reporting on this finding to ECOSOC.

Endorsement by ECOSOC - Year 3 (e.g. 2024)

• If the CDP has recommended graduation, normally within the same year, ECOSOC endorses the recommendation through its annual resolution on the CDP report.
  
  • There have been cases in which ECOSOC has not been able to find consensus on the matter and has deferred the decision to a subsequent session (see the cases of Kiribati and Tuvalu here).

Countries recommended for graduation by the CDP (will be considered by ECOSOC in 2024) 

General Assembly resolution  - Year 3 (e.g. 2024)

• The General Assembly takes note of the recommendation by the CDP to graduate a country in a resolution at the first session following the ECOSOC endorsement (e.g. if in February 2024 the CDP recommends graduation, and in June 2024 ECOSOC issues its resolution endorsing the recommendation, the General Assembly can take action starting in mid-September)
• The GA includes in its resolution the effective date of graduation. The standard period between the resolution and actual graduation is of 3 years. The General Assembly may decide on a longer period.

Countries recommended for graduation by the CDP, endorsed by ECOSOC, under consideration by the General Assembly (as of August 2021)

[Should move to next step before website goes online]

Preparing for graduation - Years 4-6, or more depending on the General Assembly decision (e.g. 2025-2027)

• The period between the General Assembly resolution and the date of graduation is called the preparatory period.
• During this period, the country is still an LDC and still benefits from the international support measures for LDCs.  Suggested actions () include the preparation of the smooth transition strategy.
• The CDP the country’s development progress and the preparation of the transition strategy.
• In case of an event that significantly affects the country's development trajectory during this period, such as a disaster of significant proportions or a severe external shock, the General Assembly can extend the preparatory period.  See the case of Angola. 

After the CDP has recommended the country for graduation - Years 4-6, or more depending on the General Assembly decision (e.g. 2025-2027)

• Follow the process within . The General Assembly will issue a resolution establishing the date of graduation.
• Establish a coordinating structure to manage the preparation of the smooth transition strategy, and later its implementation.
  
  • Vanuatu established a National Coordinating Committee to formulate strategies and policy interventions to address the possible negative impact of graduation.
  • Angola had a National Consultative Committee for LDC Graduation, which it later combined with its Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals so that the graduation roadmap was mainstreamed into the National Plan and budget.
• Step up efforts to develop and finalize the smooth transition strategy. This should be an inclusive process, with the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. Graduating countries may request .  Graduation and its impacts will need to be incorporated into development strategies. There is also no specified format for the transition strategy. For example Samoa decided that “the best transition strategy following graduation would be to ensure that it was able to fully implement its national development strategy”. It integrated the issue of graduation into the Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS 2016-2020). Bhutan incorporated its smooth transition strategy into its five-year plan (2018-23).
  
  • Guidance Note on a Smooth Transition Strategy.
  • Vanuatu's smooth transition strategy
  • Bhutan's smooth transition strategy

• Report annually to the CDP on the preparation of the strategy. CDP will monitor the country's progress and report to ECOSOC.
  
  • During the second semester of each year the CDP requests the country to report by December 31st on  progress with the smooth transition strategy (information on the consultative mechanism, meetings held, 缅北禁地support) as well as on use of LDC-specific international support measures, commitments by development partners, and any concerns on the future implementation of the strategy. [update with new monitoring requirements]

Graduating countries (General Assembly has issued the resolution on graduation)

• Bhutan (2023)
• Angola (2024)
• (2024)
• (2024)

Graduation and transition - After the graduation date

• After the graduation date, the country is no longer an LDC and needs to implement its transition strategy.
• It will still have access, for 3 to 5 years, to the LDC-specific support measures that have smooth transition provisions, such as the EU's Everything But Arms Scheme, Technology Bank, the Enhanced Integrated Framework, and others. It will no longer have access to other LDC-specific support measures. See information on support measures in , and for more information about smooth transition provisions.
• The CDP continues to the country’s development progress and the implementation of the transition strategy annually for three years after graduation, then at the two successive triennial reviews. 

After the graduation date 

• Put the smooth transition mechanism into practice. 
• Make the best use of smooth transition periods of the LDC-specific international support measures
• Most LDCs will need to continue to emphasize the development of productive capacity to secure a sustainable graduation:
  
  • Countries can still take advantage of certain LDC-specific support measures such as the EIF or the Technology Bank to support them in developing productive capacities. 

(2020)

(2017)

Countries that graduated more than five years ago:

• Botswana (1994)
• Cabo Verde (2007)
• Maldives (2011)
• Samoa (2014)