United Nations General Assembly A/RES/59/209 Distr.: General 28 February 2005 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 12 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2004 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/59/L.47 and Add.1)] 59/209. Smooth transition strategy for countries graduating from the list of least developed countries The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 46/206 of 20 December 1991, Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 2004/66 of 5 November 2004, Reconfirming Economic and Social Council resolutions 2000/34 of 28 July 2000, 2001/43 of 24 October 2001, 2002/36 of 26 July 2002 and 2004/3 of 3 June 2004, Re-emphasizes the need for a smooth transition for countries graduating 1. from the list of least developed countries; 2. Reconfirms that graduating from the list of least developed countries should not result in a disruption of development plans, programmes and projects; 3. Decides that the process to ensure a smooth transition of countries graduating from the list of least developed countries shall be as follows: (a) When the Committee for Development Policy, in its triennial review of the list of least developed countries, identifies a country that meets the criteria for graduation for the first time, it will submit its findings to the Economic and Social Council; (b) After a country has met the criteria for graduation for the first time, the Secretary-General of the United Nations will invite the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to prepare a vulnerability profile 1 on the identified country, as described in paragraph 3 (a) above, to be taken into account by the Committee for Development Policy at its subsequent triennial review; (c) At the subsequent triennial review undertaken by the Committee for Development Policy, referred to in paragraph 3 (b) above, the qualification for _______________ 1 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1999, Supplement No. 13 (E/1999/33), chap. III, para. 123. 04-48880