LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (LDCs)

May 11, 2019

A WTO Ministerial meeting of 16 developing countries and 6 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is being hosted by India in New Delhi on 13-14 May 2019 to discuss various challenges facing the multilateral rule-based-trading system.

About:

Who are LDCs? Least developed countries (LDCs) are low-income countries confronting severe structural impediments to sustainable development. They are highly vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks and have low levels of human assets.
Criteria: To identify LDCs, the CDP uses three criteria –
- Gross National Income (GNI) per capita;
- Human Assets Index (HAI) and
- Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI).
How Many? According to United Nations, there are currently 47 countries on the list of LDCs which is reviewed every three years by the Committee for Development (CDP).
Benefits of Tag? LDCs have exclusive access to specific international support in the areas of trade, development assistance, and general support.