A United Nations official today hailed the graduation of Cape Verde from the category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) while cautioning that the State’s success should not lull the UN or other development partners into thinking that its problems have ended. Anwarul K. Chowdhury, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, told a conference marking the graduation that the island chain’s achievement should instead spur the country and its international partners to even greater endeavours.
“We have won the battle [but] not the war of ensuring sustainable development for Cape Verde,” Mr. Chowdhury said in a message delivered on his behalf by Patricia de Mowbray, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cape Verde, to the conference, which was held in the capital, Praia.He said continuing international support to Cape Verde’s development efforts “should be forthcoming without fail.”Cape Verde becomes only the second country in history to graduate from the LDC category – the first was Botswana in 1994. There are now 49 States in that grouping. LDCs are those nations classified by the UN as having the least socio-economic development and being most in need of international support. To qualify, they must meet three criteria: low incomes; human resource weaknesses, based on indicators of health, nutrition, education and literacy; and economic vulnerability, based on an array of factors, including the stability of agricultural production and the exposure to natural disasters. In his message, Mr. Chowdhury praised Cape Verde’s people and the leadership for their efforts and determination to secure progress in the face of various challenges. He also credited the UN system and the international donor and development community for their roles in assisting Cape Verde.

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