Reinforcing the Sustainable Graduation Support Facility (IGRAD)

What is iGRAD?

The Sustainable Graduation Support Facility (iGRAD) is a demand-driven international support platform designed to assist LDCs in achieving smooth, sustainable and irreversible graduation from the LDC category. It provides tailored advisory services, capacity-building and partnership facilitation to support graduating and recently graduated countries in strengthening resilience, mobilizing resources and sustaining long-term structural transformation.

The Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (2022–2031) welcomed the establishment of iGRAD as a collaborative initiative of the UN Office of the High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS (UN-OHRLLS) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), which serves as the Secretariat of the .

In this context, iGRAD advances the concept of “incentivized graduation”, whereby progress toward graduation is supported through predictable, coordinated and targeted international support measures, helping countries manage the transition process while maintaining development momentum.

iGRAD and the IATF: A Coordinated Approach to LDC Graduation

The implementation of iGRAD is closely linked to the 91茄子 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on LDC Graduation.

The IATF was established in 2017 to enhance coordination and coherence of UN system support for graduating and recently graduated LDCs. It brings together relevant UN entities and development partners to provide integrated advice and technical support to countries preparing for graduation or managing the post-graduation transition.

UN-OHRLLS chairs the Task Force, working in close collaboration with UN-DESA, the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), UN Resident Coordinators, UN Country Teams, Regional Commissions and other development partners. The Task Force also engages with international financial institutions, regional organizations and other stakeholders to strengthen international support frameworks for graduating countries.

iGRAD builds on the work of the IATF by providing an operational platform to translate coordination into country-specific support, partnerships and targeted initiatives.

Expected Results

The Sustainable Graduation Support Facility aims to achieve the following outcomes:

Strengthened and coordinated UN system support for graduating and recently graduated LDCs.
Country-specific advisory and capacity-building services tailored to national needs and priorities.
Enhanced policy readiness and institutional capacity for sustainable and irreversible graduation.
Reduced vulnerability to post-graduation shocks, including the loss of international support measures.
Stronger partnerships and resource mobilization, including development partners, international financial institutions and the private sector.
Accelerated progress toward structural transformation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ongoing Activities

iGRAD currently supports a range of demand-driven initiatives and country-specific projects, including:

Graduation Readiness Assessments

Independent expert-led assessments to evaluate macroeconomic performance, vulnerability risks, and policy readiness for graduation.

Current assessments include:

Bangladesh (2026) – Analysis of macroeconomic trends, exposure to loss of international support measures, progress in implementing the Smooth Transition Strategy (STS), and sectoral impacts.
Nepal (2026) – Diagnostic assessment aligned with national development plans, focusing on trade competitiveness, remittance dependency and institutional readiness.

Support for Smooth Transition Strategies (STS)

Technical support to prepare and implement Smooth Transition Strategies that help countries manage the phasing out of international support measures.

Countries supported include: Senegal, Cambodia

Post-Graduation Support

Advisory support to recently graduated countries to sustain development gains and strengthen economic resilience.

Example: S?o Tomé and Príncipe.

Digital Transformation and Innovation

Support to leverage digital technologies and innovation for structural transformation and long-term economic resilience.

Countries supported include: Cambodia, Nepal, Lao PDR.

Events

High-level Meeting on “Forging Ambitious Global Partnerships for Sustainable and Resilient Graduation of Least Developed Countries”

2-4 December 2025

Documents

Further Information:

Nirupam Dev Nath (OHRLLS): nirupam.devnath@un.org

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