Kathmandu, Dec. 3 -- As we gather in Doha for the High-Level Meeting on "Forging Ambitious Global Partnerships for Sustainable and Resilient Graduation of Least Developed Countries," the stakes could not be higher.

Graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category is a landmark national achievement-a recognition of hard-won gains in income, human development, and resilience. Yet, for too many countries, this milestone comes with new vulnerabilities that risk undermining the very gains that enabled graduation.

Since the establishment of the LDC category in 1971, only eight countries have graduated. Today, 44 countries remain in the group, representing 14% of the world's population, but contributing less than 1.3% to global GDP....