ABSTRACT
The term least “developed countries “(LDCs) is a category created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1971 in order to bring support to what the UN describes as the “poorest and weakest segment of the international community” (2001: 3). This grouping of countries currently comprises thirty-four states from Africa, fourteen from Asia, as well as Haiti in the Americas. The UN uses thirteen criteria to identify LDCs, all related to poor income, weak human assets or economic vulnerability. Three of these criteria are linked to the environment and natural resources: agricultural production, undernourishment, and natural disasters.
