A Review of Environmental Vulnerabilities Related to Nepal’s Graduation Process from Least Developed to a Developing Country Status

Authors

  • Ambika Adhikari Adjunct Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Integrated Development Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Keshav Bhattarai Professor of Geography, University of Central Missouri, MO, USA
  • Basu Sharma Professor of Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/jofa.v2i01.43868

Keywords:

United Nations, vulnerability, climate, environment, landlocked, Developing Country, Least Developed Country, Nepal

Abstract

Nepal has long aspired to graduate from the Least Development Country (LDC) to Developing Country category as defined by the United Nations system. Nepal had met two of the three graduating criteria and could have technically graduated from the LDC status in 2015. However, based on the Nepal government’s request to defer the review, the new 2021 assessment by the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) recommended that the country should graduate from the LDC status by 2026. The graduation requires not only meeting pre-defined development-related thresholds, but also maintaining sustained improvements in at least two consecutive assessments in two of three areas: gross national income (GNI) per capita, human assets index (HAI), and economic and environmental vulnerability index (EnVI). Nepal’s economy is dependent on several environment-related factors such as agriculture, tourism, hydro-power, and natural resources. This economic development is also solidly tied to the environmental well-being of the country. The authors agree with the Nepal government’s desire to graduate from the LDC status. In this paper, we review the graduation process, assess indicators of the Environmental Vulnerability (EnVI), review the current situation with respect to environmental vulnerability, and point out where it needs to develop appropriate goals, policies, and programs to help the country graduate and join the ranks of developing countries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Abstract
106
PDF
125

Author Biography

Ambika Adhikari, Adjunct Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Integrated Development Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal

 Professor of Management

Downloads

Published

2022-09-05

How to Cite

Adhikari, A., Bhattarai, K., & Sharma, B. (2022). A Review of Environmental Vulnerabilities Related to Nepal’s Graduation Process from Least Developed to a Developing Country Status. Journal of Foreign Affairs, 2(01), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.3126/jofa.v2i01.43868

Issue

Section

Articles