UN Calls for New Industrial Deal to Combat Wealth Gap
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The Path to Growth for Least developed Countries
The Challenge of Conflict and Development
Like many of the world’s poorest countries, Sudan‘s attempts to develop its economy are severely hampered by conflict.Yet, even amidst the brutal civil war, the UN continues to offer support, and a path to development.
The fighting seems a world away from the vast King Abdul Aziz Conference Center in the Saudi capital,where government ministers assembled on Saturday for a family photo to mark the occasion of the Eleventh Ministerial Meeting of Least Developed Countries.
Arriving from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, the ministers have one thing in common: they each represent one of the poorest, most vulnerable nations in the world, officially designated by the UN as least developed countries (LDCs).
UN News
Family photo at 11th LDC Ministerial Conference,Riyadh (November 2025)
‘Yes to Global Solidarity’
“We need a decisive change of direction,” declared Gerd Müller,the Director-General of UNIDO in his opening remarks to the assembled ministers, reminding them that industrialization is “essential for achieving the Enduring Development Goals (the 17 global goals adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) and building resilience against crises.
“We need to say yes to global solidarity,to say yes to multilateralism,to say yes to keeping the gap between rich and poor from growing even wider,” added Mr.Müller.
He noted that 500 Nobel Laureates and economists are calling on the world’s leading economies (the G20,currently meeting in South Africa) to act: these leading experts have highlighted the fact that,between 2000 and 2024,the richest one per cent of the world’s population increased their wealth by 41 per cent,whilst the…
Understanding Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
What Defines an LDC?
The United Nations designates countries as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) based on three criteria:
- Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: A low level of income.
- Human Assets Index: Indicators related to health, nutrition, education, and adult literacy.
- Economic Vulnerability Index: Factors like instability of agricultural exports, lack of diversification, and small economic size.
Countries must meet two out of these three criteria to be considered for LDC status. The criteria are reviewed every three years.
Current List of LDCs (as of November 2025)
| region | Country |
|---|---|
| africa | Burundi |
| Africa | Central African Republic |
| Africa | Chad |
| Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Africa | ethiopia |
| Asia | Afghanistan |