A/HRC/45/21 Policy classifies countries as least developed based on the following criteria, 43 as refined in 2020 as part of a comprehensive review: 44 (a) their gross national income per capita; (b) their position on the human assets index; and (c) their position on the economic and environmental vulnerability index. For a country to graduate from the list of least developed countries, it must meet two criteria at the established graduation threshold at two consecutive reviews. Alternatively, a country whose per capita income is sustainably double the income graduation criterion (“income only” graduation criterion) becomes eligible for graduation regardless of the other two criteria, as it would have sufficient resources to address challenges without making recourse to support specifically for the least developed countries.45 37. Countries that do not reach graduation thresholds face important challenges to the realization of their populations’ right to development. These criteria do not, however, capture all dimensions of the right to development. Additional indicators were introduced by the Committee for Development Policy to further align the graduation framework with the Sustainable Development Goals and take into account vulnerabilities such as inequality, conflict, violence and weak governance. The Goals, including their targets and indicators, and the recommendations of United Nations human rights mechanisms can provide supplementary information for the assessment of least developed countries for graduation purposes. 38. Two countries graduated between 1971 and 2011.46 Since the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries was adopted, three countries have graduated. 47 Five more are scheduled to graduate by 2024.48 Fifteen countries have met the graduation criteria since 2011,49 signalling important progress, although short of the adopted aim of enabling half the number of least developed countries to meet the graduation criteria by 2020.50 39. Information on progress and setbacks in the graduation criteria as partial indicators of the realization of the right to development is set out below. 51 1. National income and economic growth 40. Low gross national income per capita limits countries’ ability to mobilize resources to promote human rights and develop democratic institutions, the rule of law and citizen empowerment, particularly regarding women and marginalized groups. Gross national income or domestic product per capita alone cannot fully reflect the overall well-being of countries.52 If a country graduates based on the “income only” criterion, without reducing domestic inequalities in outcomes and opportunities, the graduation may not mean improvement in the realization of the right to development and other human rights for all. The country may be failing to respect the “leave no one behind” principle, undermining the rights of parts of its population. The Committee for Development Policy will request an explicit sustainability analysis as part of the country-specific information before making a recommendation under this exception. 53 Human rights standards and the “leave no one behind” principle can contribute to the quality of the sustainability analysis, which should consider economic growth as a means to mobilizing maximum available resources to the realization of rights. 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Economic and Social Council decision 1998/46. E/2020/33, para. 35. Ibid., para. 56. Botswana (General Assembly resolutions 46/206 and 49/133) and Cabo Verde (resolution 59/210). Maldives (General Assembly resolutions 59/210 and 60/33), Samoa (resolutions 62/97 and 64/295) and Equatorial Guinea (resolution 68/18). Vanuatu in 2020 (General Assembly resolutions 52/210, 68/18 and 70/78), Angola in 2021 (resolution 70/253), Bhutan in 2023, Sao Tome and Principe in 2024 and the Solomon Islands in 2024 (resolution 73/133). A/75/72, para. 1. A/CONF.219/3/Rev.1, para. 28. For guidance on data collection and disaggregation, see www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/HRIndicators/GuidanceNoteonApproachtoData.pdf. www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9789264307292en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/9789264307292-en. E/2020/33, para. 56. 9