UN committee recommends Bangladesh’s LDC deferment

The United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) has expressed a positive position regarding Bangladesh’s request to extend its preparatory period for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category until November 24 in 2029, according to a statement from the Economic Relations Division (ERD) issued today.

CDP Chair José Antonio Ocampo informed the government, based on the Committee’s assessment, that it would be appropriate for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to approve an extension of Bangladesh’s preparatory period for LDC graduation.

However, he emphasised that Bangladesh would need to make significant progress in implementing key domestic reforms to address its existing structural vulnerabilities during this extended period.

It may be recalled that on February 18 in 2026, the Government of Bangladesh formally requested the CDP to extend the preparatory period for its graduation from the LDC category by three years, until November 24 in 2029.

Subsequently, on April 6 in 2026, the prime minister wrote to the UN secretary-general seeking his personal support on the matter.

In its assessment, the CDP noted that Bangladesh has exceeded the graduation thresholds by a significant margin under all three LDC graduation criteria and faces a very low risk of falling below these thresholds in the near to medium term.