UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution to defer the "graduation" of Angola from the least developed country (LDC) category.
In the resolution, the General Assembly takes note of the recommendation of the Economic and Social Council that the graduation of Angola from the LDC category be deferred to a later date to enable the UN Committee for Development Policy to consider further the situation of Angola and its smooth transition strategy. The General Assembly, therefore, decided to defer Angola's graduation to a later date.
The resolution reaffirms that graduating from the LDC category should be sustainable and irreversible, and should not result in a disruption of development plans, programs and projects.
In a separate resolution, the General Assembly commends the commitment of Bhutan to graduate from the LCD category on Dec. 13, 2023, and in this regard takes note of the decision of the royal government of Bhutan to integrate its smooth transition strategy into its 13th national development plan, to be adopted by February 2024.
The resolution notes with appreciation the efforts of the royal government of Bhutan toward its graduation from the LDC category, and invites bilateral, regional and multilateral development and trading partners to provide full support for the implementation of Bhutan's 13th national development plan and long-term plan spanning up to 2034.
Bhutan became the seventh country to graduate from the LDC category, following Botswana, Cabo Verde, the Maldives, Samoa, Equatorial Guinea, and Vanuatu.
With Bhutan's graduation, there remain 45 LDCs: 33 in Africa, eight in Asia, three in the Pacific, one in the Caribbean. ■
