United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Press Release, 19 April 2010

South Centre Proposes Policies Towards Sustainable Global Economic Recovery.

The South Centre has published a paper analysing current weaknesses and imbalances in the global economy and in the major countries. It also makes proposals on what needs to be done to achieve a global economic recovery. (more…)

Statement, 17 September 2009

Statement at UNTAD Trade and Development Board, Geneva

First, I would like to reattribute the UNCTAD for its 45 years anniversary on trade work. The UNCTAD has been playing very important roles in the past; the birth of the UNCAD was to make up the vacuum in the trading systems. (more…)

Paper on UN Global Economic Governance, August 2009

The Role of the United Nations in Global Economic Governance

Global economic policy issues are often addressed by specialized multilateral agencies in a fragmented, incoherent and inconsistent manner and often with failures in relation to certain areas of global policy – particularly in trade and finance – that have broader implications for the multilateral system as a whole. (more…)

Analytical Note, September 2008

Reshaping the international development cooperation architecture: perspectives on strategic development role for the Development Cooperation Forum.

This Analytical Note presents the findings of a research project undertaken by the South Centre designed to gather insights and perspectives from various stakeholders – including developing country governments and civil society. (more…)

Research Paper 17, July 2008

Unity in Diversity: Governance Adaptation in Multilateral Trade Institutions Through South-South Coalition-Building.

The experience of developing countries, individually and collectively, during the more recent period of globalization has only confirmed that developing countries need to be consistent and united in promoting their views and interests, and that to succeed it is also essential for them to join forces and pursue group action in most domains on the development agenda. (more…)

Policy Brief 14, May 2008

From Declarations to Actions on Commodities: Marking the Turning Point at UNCTAD XII.

With the multilateral trade negotiations at an impasse, with the rising concern on climate change and energy insecurity, rising international food prices which disproportionately affect the poor, the time is ripe for all concerned on development to start taking concrete actions to address the plight of the commodity crisis. (more…)

Research Paper 14, December 2007

Analysis of the role of the South-South Cooperation to promote governance on intellectual property rights and development.

The international regime on IP rights is currently made up of a patchwork of laws and institutions at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels with a growing number of players. The TRIPS Agreement of the WTO forms the core instrument with critical influence on the role of international actors and the scope of national policy making. TRIPS aim at reducing the North-South tension on IP rights protection through a multilateral system as one of its objectives. (more…)

Analytical Note, February 2007

Getting UNCTAD XII right: recommendations on theme and sub-themes.

This South Centre Analytical Note makes some recommendations on the possible theme and sub-themes for UNCTAD XII. It seeks to provide a conceptual overview of what UNCTAD XII should focus on so that the results of the ministerial conference will be an UNCTAD that is stronger, better able to play a significant role in global economic governance, and more capable of (more…)

Analytical Note, December 2006

Reinvigorating UNCTAD? Comments on the eminent persons’ panel report on enhancing the development role and impact of UNCTAD.

This South Centre Analytical Note responds to the Eminent Persons’ Panel Report on “Enhancing the Development Role and Impact of UNCTAD” by highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of the Report that developing countries might wish to consider. (more…)

Research Paper 7, July 2006

Reinventing UNCTAD.

The establishment of UNCTAD by the UN General Assembly in terms of Resolution 1995 (XIX) of 30 December 1964, was a landmark in the history of the evolution of the United Nations. This new body of the United Nations brought it closest to discharging its Charter functions in the economic and social field and ushered in a golden era of international development co-operation. (more…)

Analytical Note, May 2006

Enhancig positive corporate contributions to development: making corporate responsability for development operational in the UNCTAD XI MTR context.

This South Centre Analysis provides a discussion of the concept of corporate responsibility for development, existing initial initiatives in this area, and the need for UNCTAD to ensure that its mandate coming from UNCTAD XI to undertake work in this area results in substantive outcomes. (more…)

Analytical Note, May 2006

Operationalizing the concept of policy space in the UNCTAD XI mid-term review context.

This South Centre Analytical Note provides a brief historical overview of the development of the concept of “policy space” for development in international forums and tries to suggest ways on how, in the context of the UNCTAD XI Mid-Term Review process, (more…)