http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~pio/statistics/ldcs.html http://www.unctad.org/templates/countries.asp?intItemID=1676 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Who are the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
The LDCs are defined as low-income countries that are suffering from long- term handicaps to growth, in particular low levels of human resource development and/or severe structural weaknesses.
In 1971, the international community recognised the existence of a category of countries whose distinctness lies in the profound poverty of their people and in the weakness of their economic, institutional and human resources, often compounded by geophysical handicaps. Currently, there are 49 countries identified as Least Developed Countries. These countries are particularly ill-equipped to develop their domestic economies which are so vulnerable to external shocks or natural disasters. Thus, the group represents the weakest segment of humanity and presents a major challenge to its development partners.
The United Nations General Assembly decides which countries are included in (or graduate from) the list of LDCs under the recommendation of ECOSOC.
In accordance with resolution 26 of the Nice Plenipotentiary Conference (1989), the ITU has an annual programme for assistance to LDCs amounting to SF 2 million. Assistance is provided in 5 priority areas namely, introduction of new technologies, sector reform and restructuring, rural telecommunication development, human resources development/management, financing and tariffs. Assistance for short-term consultancies, fellowships, etc. may be requested in writing from the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, through the official channels.
The criteria
In its latest triennial review of the list of Least Developed Countries in 2000, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations used the following three criteria for determining the new list, as proposed by the Committee for Development Policy:
a low-income criterion, based on a three-year average estimate of the gross domestic product per capita (under $900 for inclusion, above $1,035 for graduation);
a human resource weakness criterion, involving a composite Augmented Physical Quality of Life Index (APQLI) based on indicators of:
nutrition; health; education; adult literacy;
an economic vulnerability criterion, involving a composite Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) based on indicators of:
the instability of agricultural production; the instability of exports of goods and services; the economic importance of non-traditional activities (share of manufacturing and modern services in GDP); merchandise export concentration; the handicap of economic smallness (as measured through the population in logarithm).
-- Michael Pugliese