The non-aligned countries were more than merely mediators during the Cold War. The challenge for most of the non-aligned countries - a majority of them were categorised as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - was to be more developed economically and to lift their people out of poverty. Economic development was also vital for the independence of the new countries. Without sustained development, a country could not be truly free. It would remain dependent on the richer countries including the colonial powers from which political freedom had been achieved.

The countries that were categorised as the Least Developed Countries were:

(1) Army rule countries

(2) Non-Aligned countries

(3) Western block countries

(4) Eastern block countries

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The non-aligned countries were more than merely mediators during the Cold War. The challenge for most of the non-aligned countries — a majority of them were categorised as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) — was to be more developed economically and to lift their people out of poverty.