The Least Developed Countries Report 2011: The Potential Role of South-South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva: UNCTAD, 2011, 166 pp.

Recent years have witnessed two significant developments in the South: robust performance and rising influence of powerhouse economies, and a growing gap between the developing countries and the least developed countries (LDCs). The growing clout of the South preceded the 2009 global financial crisis, although the general buoyancy of the BRICS and other major economies through the turbulence further anchored their stake in the world economy. This global reconfiguration receives much attention, including in the UNDP’s 2013 Human Development Report, themed The Rise of the South.