THIMPHU, BHUTAN (Xinhua) — The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which is known for its happiness concept, is poised to join the middle-income countries, as it graduates from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) category, the United Nations Committee for Development Policy has announced.
Bhutan is one of the four countries including Kiribati, São Tomé and Principe and Solomon islands that were recommended for graduation. The graduation was credited to increasing national earning power as well as Bhutan’s access to better health care and education.
The recommendations will be forwarded to UN Economic and Social Council for endorsement, which will then refer its decision to the UN General Assembly, as per the UN press release.
The UN committee for development policy’s chair, Professor Jose Antonio Ocampo has called it a historic occasion for Bhutan. This was initially made public through the press release and subsequently published on UN website.
