Policy on Defining Developing Country 

P446 V3

Timeframe for review:                 Every five years, or earlier if required

Document authorisation:            Council of Advocacy, Practice and Partnerships

Document implementation:        Department of Policy, Research and Partnerships

Document maintenance:             Department of Policy, Research and Partnerships

Copyright

2025. Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. All rights reserved.

The roles conferred on the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; the College) by its Constitution include the facilitation of medical education and medical aid support to developing countries, as well as endeavors related to the promotion and understanding of emergency medicine outside of Australia and New Zealand, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region.

ACEM is committed to improving the capacity of low- and -middle income countries (LMICs) to deliver safe and effective emergency care, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific Region. The College seeks to do this by supporting locally-led emergency care capacity development.

The purpose of this policy is to provide the criteria by which, for ACEM purposes only, the term ‘developing country’ may be defined or understood.

There are no universal, agreed-upon criteria for what makes a country ‘developing’ and which countries fit into that category. The various designations used by United Nations (UN) organisations are primarily intended for statistical convenience. However, there are general reference points, such as a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita; its gross national income (GNI); the state of development of its industrial base compared to that of other countries; and its Human Development Index (HDI).

ACEM acknowledges that the term ‘Developing Country’ has been identified as outdated, and that this language can invoke a sense paternalism and may imply a false hierarchy among nations. Due to the lack of universal, agreed-upon criteria, ACEM will continue usage of this term, noting that it applies to the following criteria only and should not be used to infantilize countries, or individuals from those countries. ACEM will continue to investigate usage of this term regularly, until a more acceptable definition is identified.

2.1 ACEM Usage

For ACEM purposes, the expression ‘developing country’ is defined with primary reference to the HDI created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

2.2 Criteria for Inclusion in Definition

1. For the purposes of ACEM, countries that are included in the HDI ‘medium human development’ and ‘low human development’ categories are considered ‘developing countries’.
2. Countries that are included in the ‘high human development’ category may, or may not, be considered ‘developing countries’ by the College, depending on the context in which the expression is being employed and at the discretion of:

3. 1. The Global Emergency Care Committee (GECCo), when acting within the Terms of Reference of the Committee
   2. The Council of Advocacy, Practice and Partnerships (CAPP)
   3. The Board (upon recommendation from CAPP) in relation to international affiliate membership and the granting of concessional fees to the Annual Scientific Meeting and other College events.
4. For the purposes of ACEM, countries that are included in the HDI ‘very high human development’ category and are not considered ‘developing countries’.

2.3 Guidelines for Determining Inclusion

Factors which ACEM may consider in determining whether a country in the HDI ‘high human development’ category may be a ‘developing country’ include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. 1. The classification given to the country by the World Bank – does it have a ‘lower middle income’ or ‘low income’ classification?
   2. Whether the country is:

• listed on the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) list of developing countries (as declared by the Minister for Foreign Affairs)
• is in an international development partnership with the Aotearoa/New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
• a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), as defined by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

1. 3. The standard of development of medicine in general, and specialist emergency medicine care in particular, in the country in question where such are limited by a continuing shortage of skilled health care workers, and the cost and challenges of organising service delivery.

Broadly, a country in the HDI ‘high human development’ category, which is also in the World Bank ‘high income’ category, would not be considered a ‘developing country’ for the purposes of the College. Nevertheless, there may be circumstances in which there are individual national circumstances that justify its inclusion.

• United Nations Development Programme, Human Development
  •  https://hdr.undp.org/
• United Nations Least Developed Countries list (December 2024): 
  • https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/ldc_list.pdf
• United Nations Small Island Developing States member list: 
  • https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/sids/list
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia), List of Developing Countries: 
  • http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/list-of-developing-countries-as-declared-by-the-minister-for-foreign-affairs.aspx