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Graduation from the LDC category is a multi-year process which formally starts when a country meets the graduation criteria for the first time at one of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP)'s triennial reviews. 

• For details on each of the steps outlined here, please see the LDC Handbook.
• For more information on suggested government action at each stage of the graduation process, see "How to prepare for graduation".
• The timing information below refers to a standard process. Actual timing has differed, responding to country circumstances. See pp. 18-19 of the LDC Handbook for an overview of actual timing of graduation stages. 

Country meets the graduation criteria for the first time - Year 0 (e.g., 2024)

• At its Triennial Reviews (2024, 2027, 2030, etc.), the CDP reviews the list of LDCs to determine which meet the graduation criteria. 
• If a country is found to meet the graduation criteria, the CDP informs the government in writing and includes the finding in its report to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Between triennial reviews - information gathering and beginning of preparations in the country - Year 0-3 (e.g. 2024-2027)

• After the Triennial Review, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and UNCTAD start working on analyses of the potential impacts of graduation and of the country's vulnerabilities, respectively. This information, along with indicators and inputs from other parts of the UN system, is consolidated in a "graduation assessment" presented to the CDP ahead of its next triennial review.  A CDP member is designated rapporteur for the country.
• The CDP secretariat and other UN entities monitor the country’s performance in relation to the LDC criteria and. The CDP secretariat shares preliminary data with the country so as to resolve any data discrepancies. 
• The UN, , can provide guidance on preparing for the next steps.

Meeting the graduation criteria for the second consecutive time: CDP recommendation, ECOSOC and General Assembly resolutions - Year 3 (e.g. 2027)

• CDP recommendation:
  • Three years after the country meets the criteria for the first time, the CDP will assess it once more.   
    • Ahead of the CDP's Triennial Review , a sub-group of the CDP holds a meeting (usually in January of the year of the review) to review the preliminary data and determine whether the country meets the graduation criteria for a second consecutive time. If so, it also reviews the graduation assessment (which includes summaries of the vulnerability profiles prepared by UNCTAD and the impact assessments prepared by UN DESA), supplementary indicators and any other relevant inputs.  The government is invited to this preparatory meeting to share its views on graduation, and later to submit them in writing.
    • The Triennial Review is held during the CDP's plenary meeting (usually in February or March). The full CDP membership reviews the results of the preparatory meeting and the government inputs. The results of the Triennial Review are communicated in writing to the respective governments and are included in the CDP's report to ECOSOC.
      • If the country still meets the graduation criteria, the CDP may, based on the results of its analysis, recommend graduation. It will include the recommendation in its report to ECOSOC, where it will also indicate what it considers an adequate preparatory period (the period between the General Assembly's resolution and the date of graduation), policy priorities and support needed (see, for example, the in which it recommends the graduation of Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Nepal).
      • If the country still meets the graduation criteria, but the CDP has serious concerns (for example on the sustainability of the country's development process), it may defer the decision to the next Triennial Review (see the example of Comoros here).
      • If the country does not meet the criteria: no further action is taken other than reporting this to ECOSOC. The process for the country ends here.  It will continue to be reviewed, along with all other LDCs, and the process will start over once it meets the criteria again.
• Endorsement by ECOSOC
  • If the CDP has recommended graduation, normally within the same year, ECOSOC endorses the recommendation through its annual resolution on the CDP report (read the resolution for Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Nepal ).
  • There have been cases in which ECOSOC has not been able to find consensus on the matter and has deferred the decision to a subsequent session (see the cases of Kiribati and Tuvalu).
• General Assembly resolution
  • The General Assembly takes note of the recommendation for graduation in a resolution issued during the first session following the ECOSOC endorsement (e.g. if the CDP recommends graduation in March 2024 and ECOSOC issues its resolution in June endorsing the recommendation, the General Assembly can take action starting in mid-September). See the examples of Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Nepal . 
  • The resolution includes a graduation date. The standard period between the resolution and actual graduation (the "preparatory period") is of 3 years. The General Assembly may decide on a longer period. The CDP will have indicated what it considers adequate.

Preparatory period (between the General Assembly resolution and the date of graduation) - Years 3-6 or more depending on the General Assembly decision (e.g. 2027-2030)

• The country is still an LDC during this period.
• The graduating country is encouraged to prepare and begin implementing a smooth transition strategy.
• The CDP  the country’s development progress and the preparation of the transition strategy, in consultation with the governments concerned. It includes its findings in its reports to ECOSOC.
• Exceptionally, the preparatory period maybe extended by the General Assembly, for example, in cases where the country is hit by a disaster or other severe shock. For example, in 2023 the preparatory period for Solomon Islands was extended by three years, until 13 December 2027, following a recommendation by CDP and ECOSOC.

After the graduation date: transition period 

• The country implements its smooth transition strategy.
• During this period, countries will stop benefitting from international support measures that are LDC-specific. Some support measures are interrupted at graduation, some have a set transition period during which the graduated country can still benefit, and for others the terms applicable for the period following graduation will be determined by the provider on an ad hoc basis.  
• The CDP continues to the country’s development progress and the implementation of the transition strategy annually for three years after graduation, then at the two successive triennial reviews.