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United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Policy Briefs
UNCTAD Policy Briefs provide authoritative data and analysis on trade, investment, finance and technology, offering solutions to the major challenges facing developing countries, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable nations. Beyond tailored analysis and policy recommendations, our research has also generated global standards that govern responsible sovereign lending and borrowing, investment, entrepreneurship, competition and consumer protection and trade rules towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
46 条搜索结果
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Correspondent Banking Relationships and Trade
出版日期: 四月 2024更多 更少Banks often use intermediary banks through CBRs to enable cross-border payments. These relationships are, therefore, critical for international trade transactions that rely on those payments. In recent years, CBRs have declined in many developing economies, and the de-risking strategy of some banks contributes to this trend. This decline in CBRs creates a challenge for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS to conduct trade. This brief examines the cause of declining CBRs, and presents a preliminary assessment of how it can affect trade, and proposes possible pathways of action.
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Navigating Troubled Waters: Impact to Global Trade of Disruption of Shipping Routes in the Red Sea, Black Sea and Panama Canal
出版日期: 二月 2024更多 更少Maritime transport, the backbone of international trade, is responsible for 80% of the global movement of goods. Disruptions in key global shipping route – Suez Canal, Panama Canal and Black Sea – signal unprecedented challenges for global trade affecting millions of people in every region. According to the UNCTAD report, attacks on shipping affecting the Suez Canal add to geopolitical tensions impacting shipping routes in the Black Sea, and severe drought due climate change disrupting shipping in the Panama Canal. UNCTAD estimates that transits passing the Suez Canal decreased by 42% compared to its peak. With major players in the shipping industry temporarily suspending Suez transits, weekly container ship transits have fallen by 67%, and container carrying capacity, tanker transits, and gas carriers have experienced significant declines. Meanwhile, total transits through the Panama Canal plummeted by 49% compared to its peak.
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Climate-responsive Central Banking in the Least Developed Countries
出版日期: 二月 2024更多 更少Climate change can have physical and economic impacts that affect core areas of central banking, including inflation and financial sector stability. Central banks, including those of LDCs, need to reevaluate their options in the light of the climate crisis and the global low-carbon transition. This policy brief outlines the ways central banks can identify policy tradeoffs and determine how to best incorporate climate-responsive policy and analytical tools in their operational frameworks. There is increased awareness of how climate change risks can have profound effects on financial sectors and other economic sectors. Two broad classes of climate risks can create financial stress: physical risks – arising from the direct and indirect consequences of climate-related events – and transition risks, associated with the shift towards a low-carbon economy. Examples of physical risks include increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods that damage assets and disrupt supply chains. Transition risks relate to regulatory changes, technological progress, and market shifts that impact the value of investments to which carbon-intensive industries are especially exposed.
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Is the Labour Force in Africa Supply Chain Ready?
出版日期: 二月 2024更多 更少Over the last decade and a half, global supply chains have come under pressure due to geopolitical events, economic uncertainties and natural disasters. Disruptions have led to questions on how to strengthen supply chain resilience, with two key concepts advanced, namely, diversification and flexibility. As global multinationals reconsider resilience, opportunities arise in the following two key areas: countries in Africa can gain entry into supply chains; and multinational firms have an opportunity to diversify into the African continent by strengthening or building new supplier, producer and customer base supply chains. However, as noted in this policy brief, it is imperative for economies in Africa to be adequately prepared and willing to adapt, to ensure participation in global supply chains. The current level of labour productivity in Africa and the connection with supply chains are also discussed.
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Preliminary Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Destruction in Gaza and Prospects for Economic Recovery
出版日期: 一月 2024更多 更少Israel has occupied Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since June 1967. Despite the “withdrawal” of Israel from Gaza in 2005, it has retained control over its airspace and all land and sea borders, except for the 12 km border with Egypt. Since the early 1990s, and greatly amplified after 2007, the Palestinian people in Gaza have been subjected to prolonged and severe restrictions on their movement that, in combination with tight restrictions on trade in goods, in effect amount to a blockade on the densely populated 365 km2 Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Israel does not allow the construction and operation of air or seaports and bans or restricts the importation of critical production inputs and technology.
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An Equitable and Just Transition to Low-carbon Shipping
出版日期: 十一月 2023更多 更少The twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change provides an opportunity to assess progress in decarbonization efforts in the shipping sector and adds further momentum to carbon reduction actions. As noted in this policy brief, taking swift measures to reduce the carbon footprint of this sector is instrumental’, given the economic role of the sector and the potential for the current carbon footprint to grow in tandem with global economic growth and trade expansion.
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Twin Transition for Global Value Chains: Green and Digital
出版日期: 七月 2023更多 更少The green and digital transitions have developed in parallel to date, especially in latecomer countries, but green and digital technologies are increasingly becoming intertwined. In this policy brief, greening and digitalizing options for latecomer countries are examined, along with opportunities for benefiting from this twin transition in global value chains. The focus is on environmental and technological upgrading and on how global value chains can become greener by switching to the use of digital frontier technologies associated with smart manufacturing, often referred to as industry 4.0 technologies.
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Industrial Hemp: An Old Crop in a Modern Era
出版日期: 六月 2023更多 更少Climate change and its impacts on the daily lives of billions of people require innovative actions. One potential component of such initiatives could be to advocate for and foster an industrial hemp sector, for exploitation and valorization based on a “whole plant” approach that uses all parts of the plant. Such exploitation could be achieved in most regions of the world, and the whole plant approach would help promote the establishment of various production chains. As discussed in this policy brief, industrial hemp value chains have the potential to be carbon negative and ecologically sustainable and can therefore effectively supplement strategies for sustainable development and the transition to clean energy. Practical experiences worldwide highlight the need for Governments to establish a regulatory and institutional framework supporting the exploitation of all parts of the industrial hemp plant. In this regard, the categorization of industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity subject to regulatory oversight by an agricultural department, as in many member countries of the European Union, rather than a controlled substance, as in Malawi and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is of paramount importance.
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Moving Fast With Frontier Technologies
出版日期: 六月 2023更多 更少In the last two decades, the use of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things and energy from renewable sources has undergone significant growth, and this trend is expected to continue. However, there is still considerable concentration in these markets. The leading frontier technology providers are mostly firms from China, the United States of America and a few other developed countries, with little participation from developing countries. The same pattern is observed with regard to knowledge generation and trade. Governments of developing countries should take proactive action to increase preparedness to use, adopt and adapt such technologies and to take up the economic opportunities linked to them. Some of the challenges associated with the adoption of new technologies in developing countries are addressed in this policy brief, and some policy recommendations are proposed.
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Formulating Strategic Policy Responses to Open Green Windows of Opportunity
出版日期: 五月 2023更多 更少The depth and speed of green development vary across different environmental technology domains. Accordingly, sectoral and policy responses must be tailored to the “green window of opportunity” in question. Many developing economies have embraced renewable energy sources such as solar power and biofuels, with supportive policies in place to enhance domestic demand. However, the adoption of new and less mature technologies, such as green hydrogen, necessitates considerable investments in research and development, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, to establish economic feasibility and competitiveness. An overview of renewable energy markets is presented in this policy brief, and four scenarios of green windows of opportunity are highlighted, based on individual responses and preconditions. An “identify-assess-sustain” approach is recommended, to facilitate the transition to green energy.
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Trade Policies for the Low-carbon Transition Need to Take Into Account Least Developed Country Structural Features
出版日期: 一月 2023更多 更少Increasing the share of manufactured goods in total exports would be beneficial to least developed countries (LDCs), but achieving industrial growth remains elusive. This goal can be jeopardized by the increasing use of trade policy measures to achieve climate or environmental goals. While these goals are legitimate, uncoordinated measures by systemically important traders can have adverse consequences for LDCs. To attenuate them, these traders should adopt special measures to help LDCs adapt to the evolving international regulatory scene. LDCs should invest more on upgrading their productive capacities and intensify trade with regional markets.
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Financial Services: Unlocking the Potential for Export Diversification
出版日期: 一月 2023更多 更少The services sector presents an opportunity for African countries to diversify their exports through two key facets: (a) the use of innovation and technology in the services sector can strengthen productive capacities, leading to high-quality and more diversified exports of goods; and (b) African countries can diversify exports through intensifying forward and backward linkages with services sectors and increasing export of services. This policy brief, based on the EDAR 2022, presents recommendations on how the roles of financial services and private businesses can be leveraged to strengthen productive capacity and diversify into high-quality exports.
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African Continental Free Trade Area: Design of Dispute Settlement Mechanism Should Reflect Preferences and Realities of All Its Member States
出版日期: 一月 2023更多 更少The African Continental Free Trade Area is set to promote structural transformation in States parties, in addition to strengthening sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development and improving gender equality. However, to achieve the desired outcomes and maximize benefits, it is imperative for implementation to be undertaken carefully, with strong and appropriate institutions underpinning the process. A key aspect of any trade agreement involving different parties is the dispute settlement mechanism, aimed at fostering trust, accountability and the rule of law in operationalizing the agreement. UNCTAD, in this policy brief, analyses the framework of the dispute settlement mechanism under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement by comparing it with other dispute settlement mechanisms under regional economic communities and the World Trade Organization, with a focus on challenges. In addition, recommendations are made for enhancing the dispute settlement mechanism, to ensure that it is more accessible and aligned with the preferences of member States of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
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Tackling Debt and Climate Challenges in Tandem: A Policy Agenda
出版日期: 十一月 2022更多 更少Climate-related shocks are growing in intensity and frequency while the ability of developing countries to address mounting climate challenges is heavily impaired by unsustainable debt burdens. Achieving climate-resilient structural transformation will require many of them to take on more debt. This policy brief highlights the growing overlap between debt and climate vulnerabilities in developing countries and the urgent need for improved access by vulnerable countries to financing on terms consistent with both long-term sustainable development and debt sustainability. It proposes a policy agenda that focuses on a reform of the international debt architecture and on scaling-up public-led and affordable development financing for climate investments.
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Climate-resilience of Seaports: Adequate Finance is Critical for Developing Countries but Remains a Major Challenge
出版日期: 七月 2022更多 更少Climate change impacts on seaports can result in significant and costly damage, operational disruption and delay across global supply chains, with important implications for international trade and the sustainable development prospects of the most vulnerable countries. Timely and effective action on adaptation is a matter of growing urgency. Major scaling up of capacity-building and finance will be critical for developing countries, and time is of the essence.
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The Cost of Doing Too Little Too Late: How Cryptocurrencies Can Undermine Domestic Resource Mobilization in Developing Countries
出版日期: 七月 2022更多 更少Financing for development requires that countries simultaneously mobilize resources from various sources while tackling financial leakages. This policy brief discusses how cryptocurrencies have become a new channel undermining domestic resource mobilization in developing countries. While cryptocurrencies can facilitate remittances, these same digital technologies may also enable tax evasion or avoidance through offshore flows whose ownership is not easily identifiable. In this way, they may curb the effectiveness of capital controls, a key instrument for developing countries to preserve their policy and fiscal space and macroeconomic stability. This policy brief recommends policies to reduce the financial leakages from cryptocurrencies. Given the global nature of cryptocurrencies, it highlights the importance and urgency of international cooperation regarding cryptocurrency tax treatments, regulation and information sharing as well as of redesigning capital controls to take account of the decentralized, borderless and pseudonymous features of cryptocurrencies.
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Public Payment Systems in the Digital Era: Responding to the Financial Stability and Security-related Risks of Cryptocurrencies
出版日期: 六月 2022更多 更少The digital era is leading to many changes in the payment system landscape, some of which threaten monetary stability and security in developing countries. To ensure that payment systems function as a public good, monetary authorities should carefully consider the implementation of a central bank digital currency. Depending on national capabilities and needs, and the challenges of creating such a currency, authorities could alternatively create a fast retail payment system. Moreover, given the risk of accentuating the digital divide in developing countries, authorities should maintain the issuance and distribution of cash.
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All That Glitters is Not Gold: The High Cost of Leaving Cryptocurrencies Unregulated
出版日期: 六月 2022更多 更少The global use of cryptocurrencies increased exponentially during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Such private digital currencies have become particularly prevalent in developing countries, entailing considerable risks and costs regarding national monetary sovereignty, policy space and macroeconomic stability. In this policy brief, UNCTAD examines such risks and costs, reasons for the uptake of cryptocurrencies in developing countries and the current regulatory landscape. Three policy recommendations that developing countries may consider in this regard are ensuring financial regulation; restricting advertisements related to cryptocurrencies; and providing a safe, reliable and affordable public payment system adapted to the digital era, such as a central bank digital currency or fast retail payment system.
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Strategy for Graduation with Momentum: Bridging Pre-graduation and Post-graduation Development Processes in the Least Developed Countries
出版日期: 四月 2022更多 更少The development path followed by a country prior to graduation from the least developed country category has significant implications with regard to the challenges to be faced after graduation. The current conceptualization of a smooth transition strategy primarily aims to create a short-term post-graduation “soft landing” and ease concerns with regard to preparation for engaging in economic relations as a non-least developed country. Therefore, the concept currently does not have a focus on preparing countries for graduation with momentum. UNCTAD has maintained that the post-graduation success of a country significantly depends on the foundations built prior to graduation. Graduating countries need a new strategy, one that prepares them for the challenges ahead by linking the graduation process with the development of productive capacities and sustainable development. UNCTAD has proposed an alternative policy framework to help refocus the objectives and strategic direction of graduation strategies, as well as a new time frame for implementation.
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Integrating a Gender Perspective into Trade Facilitation Reforms
出版日期: 四月 2022更多 更少Women cross-border traders face significant challenges, including time constraints, costs of burdensome procedures, discrimination and harassment at borders. Despite multilateral calls to address those issues and to make trade policies gender-responsive, notably the Revised Buenos Aires Declaration, limited progress has been made on gender equality in trade. This policy brief outlines key gender-based barriers for women traders and provides 10+1 policy recommendations to address them.
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The Least Developed Countries Need a New Generation of International Support Measures to Face the Development Challenges of the 2020s
出版日期: 四月 2022更多 更少The least developed countries find themselves at a crossroad. Beset by long-standing structural weaknesses, shortcomings in international support and widening inequalities within and among all countries, they have to confront new or intensifying problems worsened by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, climate change, the rapidly evolving character of globalization and the new technological realities of the digital age. Developing productive capacities is the key to unlocking the potential of the least developed countries achieving structural transformation to face these new realities. To be able to rise to both old and new challenges, the least developed countries need a new generation of international support measures that are fit for purpose in a fast-changing global environment. These new international support measures need to be effective, relevant and closely tailored to least developed country aspirations if international support measures are to change the course of the development trajectories of these countries.
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Why Robust Digital Identity Systems Are Essential in Fostering Trade and Development
出版日期: 三月 2022更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated the shift toward a more digital world in a way that will have long-lasting effects. Lockdown measures have led to a surge in electronic commerce (e-commerce), as consumers look for alternatives to in-person shopping. Such shifts in global consumer behaviour mean that a robust e-commerce framework is rapidly becoming an essential component of a regionally integrated economy. Moreover, e-commerce and other economic activities enabled by information and communications technology have the potential to accelerate progress towards all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, many developing countries face challenges when it comes to the promotion and implementation of e-commerce. Leading these challenges are consumer concerns over the cybersecurity infrastructure that underpins electronic transactions, especially the lack of strong methods of authentication to tackle fraud-related issues. To address such challenges, countries should establish policies that lead to the implementation of a robust national digital identity framework.
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The Least Developed Countries Need to Strengthen and Broaden State Capacity to Operationalize Policy Space and Achieve Development Goals
出版日期: 三月 2022更多 更少State capacity both drives improved development outcomes and is accumulated as a by-product of positive progression in the development process. However, the least developed countries have experienced attrition on both fronts. Development challenges among the least developed countries in the 2020s require them to develop and strengthen State capacity. These countries need the support of development partners through the implementation of programmes that intentionally reinforce and expand State capacity.
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Export Potential Under the African Continental Free Trade Area: Limited Prospects for the Least Developed Countries in Africa?
出版日期: 二月 2022更多 更少Free trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area commenced in January 2021. Countries agreed to remove tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, progressively liberalize trade in services and eliminate non-tariff barriers, to improve regional cohesion, create a single large African market and promote gross domestic product (GDP) growth through trade. With the objective of guiding feasible policies and sectoral strategies at the national and regional levels, this policy brief highlights how countries in Africa, in particular the least developed countries, benefit differently from tariff liberalization and the removal of non-tariff barriers.
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Emerging Strategies for Ports During the Pandemic
出版日期: 二月 2022更多 更少The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on humankind and on global commerce. Ports and port communities have experienced major changes to normal operating environments. The strategies used by ports to remain open and continue to facilitate sustainable economic development throughout the pandemic may provide useful lessons for policymakers, particularly in relation to the protocols and innovative measures that have been employed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the movement of imports and exports as well as ships’ crew and essential port workers.
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Digital Trade: Opportunities and Actions for Developing Countries
出版日期: 一月 2022更多 更少Digital trade is increasingly important and comprises both digitally ordered trade in goods and services (cross-border electronic commerce (e-commerce)) and digitally delivered trade (services delivered internationally through the Internet or other networks). However, countries vary greatly in their readiness for digital trade. If the share of developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, in world trade is to increase, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, actions are needed to strengthen their capacity to benefit from digital trade. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has made this need even more urgent.
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Strengthening International Response and Cooperation to Address the Seafarer Crisis and Keep Global Supply Chains Open During the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
出版日期: 十二月 2021更多 更少Border closures, restrictions and other measures taken by countries to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have caused large numbers of seafarers – peaking at an estimated 400,000 in September 2020 – to remain stranded at sea, far beyond contract expiration dates and the 11-month maximum period of continuous service on board ships. This has caused a humanitarian crew change crisis and brought working conditions in the shipping sector into the spotlight. Governments and industry should continue to collaborate with all other relevant stakeholders to address the crew change crisis and ensure that seafarers are designated as key workers and are prioritized for vaccinations.
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Facilitating Access to Opensource Technologies
出版日期: 十月 2021更多 更少Ensuring easy and affordable access by developing countries to appropriate technologies is critical in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Open-source technologies can provide a means of effective technology transfer. Countless open-source designs and technologies are shared by innovators worldwide, yet there is currently no central repository of such technologies and this makes it difficult for producers or consumers in developing countries to locate and access them. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations recently adopted resolution 2021/30 on open-source technologies for sustainable development. In this policy brief, an explanation of why developing countries need access to such technologies and proposals of ways to move forward in implementing the resolution are provided.
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Implementing Supportive Policies to Build a Vibrant Private Sector as a Driver of Structural Transformation
出版日期: 九月 2021更多 更少The private sector – one of the eight categories of the UNCTAD Productive Capacities Index – can be a catalyst for productive capacity development and structural transformation, required to achieve sustainable development. Fostering entrepreneurship and stimulating private sector development and competitiveness through supportive policies and strategic actions should be a priority in the least developed countries (LDCs), to catch up with other country groups. Building on the private sector category of the Index, which reports on cross-border trade facilitation, access to finance and business support, this policy brief looks at how the private sector contributes to the development of productive capacities and at the policies that can be used to support its growth.
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Enhancing Productive Capacities and Transforming Least Developed Country Economies Through Institution-building: Upcoming United Nations Conferences and the Way Forward
出版日期: 八月 2021更多 更少In this policy brief, UNCTAD intends to shed light on the role of institutions in fostering productive capacities, and examines Institutions as one of the eight categories of the UNCTAD Productive Capacities Index. In the context of the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies in support of LDCs, recommendations are provided to support the building of stronger and more effective institutions, a prerequisite for fostering productive capacities.
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Embracing a New Conceptual Framework for the Statistical Measurement of Illicit Financial Flows
出版日期: 七月 2021更多 更少This policy brief examines illicit financial flows linked to the export of extractive resources from Africa, methodologies to measure them and their relationship to the new conceptual framework for the statistical measurement of illicit financial flows as part of the measurement of progress towards Goal 16, target 16.4. It highlights opportunities to curb illicit financial flows using improved methodologies for customs fraud detection and to enhance resource governance with regard to metals that will be in high demand for the battery-storage technology needed in the transition to a low-carbon future.
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Placing Productive Capacities at the Heart of Least Developed Countries’ Development Policy and Strategy
出版日期: 七月 2021更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought to light not only the systemic interdependence of countries, but also the socioeconomic fragility of the global economy. From a trade and development perspective, this has been felt most acutely in the most vulnerable developing countries – the least developed countries (LDCs). Even prior to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, LDCs faced complex development challenges, compounded with economic growth patterns that have failed to translate into accelerated poverty reduction and job creation. As the international community prepares for the upcoming fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XV) and the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (UNLDC V), innovative strategies and approaches to enhance economic growth and address underlying vulnerabilities are urgently needed. This policy brief is a call to action for LDC Governments and the broader international community of development partners to take concerted action in the fostering of productive capacities for sustainable development.
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Curbing Illicit Financial Flows to Finance Sustainable Development in Africa
出版日期: 七月 2021更多 更少Curbing illicit financial flows (IFFs) can help African countries mobilize capital to finance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and other national priorities. IFFs contribute to US$88.6 billion of capital flight per year from Africa. Reducing these outflows can increase the stock of capital available for businesses to build productive capacity and create jobs. Increased tax revenues can provide governments additional fiscal space to, for example, invest in infrastructure, spend on poverty reduction programmes, or assist citizens during emergencies, such as the 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This policy brief examines IFFs in Africa, including how they contribute to capital flight and tax evasion. We then recommend specific actions governments can take to curb IFFs and use the proceeds to finance sustainable development.
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Small Island Developing States: Maritime Transport in the Era of a Disruptive Pandemic - Empower States to Fend Against Disruptions to Maritime Transportation Systems, Their Lifeline to the World
出版日期: 六月 2021更多 更少The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have had less noticeable impacts on small island developing States (SIDS). However, the impacts may be longer lasting and more critical. The pandemic has exacerbated the unique and overwhelming challenges in these States related to connectivity; a high level of dependence on external trade; remoteness and prohibitive transport costs; food security; infrastructure gaps; resilience; sustainability; and access to finance. This policy brief builds on the findings in Review of Maritime Transport 2020 and of the ongoing United Nations-wide project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative solutions”, launched in 2020 amid the pandemic. It highlights key priority actions and policy recommendations to support SIDS in strengthening their ability to respond to shocks and disruptions that undermine their maritime transportation systems and to future proof their maritime supply chains through sustainability and resilience-building efforts.
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Container Shipping in Times of Covid-19: Why Freight Rates Have Surged and Implications for Policy Makers
出版日期: 六月 2021更多 更少At the start of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, expectations were that seaborne trade, including containerized trade, would experience a strong downturn. However, changes in consumption and shopping patterns triggered by the pandemic, including a surge in electronic commerce, as well as lockdown measures, have in fact led to increased import demand for manufactured consumer goods, a large part of which is moved in shipping containers. As at the third quarter of 2020, lessening of lockdown measures and varying speeds of recovery worldwide, as well as stimulus packages supporting consumer demand, inventory-building and frontloading in anticipation of new waves of the pandemic, contributed to leading to a further increase in containerized trade flows.
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Towards a New Trade Agenda for the Right to Food
出版日期: 六月 2021更多 更少Access to food is a fundamental human right. Trade plays a key role in food security but an excessive exposure to global markets also increases risks. Trade policy needs to be advanced from a right-to-food perspective. This calls for the effective implementation and reform of existing World Trade Organization provisions. In 2021, the fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization will provide opportunities to incorporate the right-to-food agenda in the global trade architecture.
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Making Trade Agreements Work For Gender Equality - Data and Statistics
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少What is the impact of trade on gender equality, and how can trade policy influence that impact? These questions are difficult to answer without reliable and comprehensive statistics. In December 2017, the Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women's Economic Empowerment1 called for an inventory of data sources, collection of gender-disaggregated data and the analysis of gender-focused statistics related to trade. This policy brief provides some tools for taking stock of available data to assess the gender impacts of trade agreements. In 2018, UNCTAD developed a statistical conceptual framework to bring together key elements for understanding the impact of trade on gender equality. This brief applies that framework by exploring data availability and gaps. The work builds on the expertise of the UNCTAD Statistics and Trade, Gender and Development programme working to improve women's economic empowerment through the development of gender-responsive trade policy.
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COVID-19: un plan d’action en 10 points pour renforcer la facilitation des échanges et du transport en période de pandémie
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少La pandémie de coronavirus (Covid-19) affecte considérablement la vie et les moyens de subsistance des gens tout en exerçant des tensions extrêmes sur les systèmes socioéconomiques. Une collaboration, coordination et solidarité internationales seront essentielles pour surmonter ce défi mondial sans précédent. Dans le cadre des efforts visant à réduire la propagation internationale du virus et à atténuer les conséquences potentiellement dévastatrices de la pandémie à plus long terme, en particulier pour les pays les plus vulnérables, les décideurs politiques doivent prendre un certain nombre de mesures pour assurer la facilitation du commerce international et du transport des marchandises. Il est crucial de garder les navires en mouvement, les ports ouverts et le commerce transfrontalier et de transit fluide, tout en veillant à ce que les agences frontalières puissent effectuer tous les contrôles nécessaires en toute sécurité.
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2019冠状病毒病:在疫情期 间加强国际贸易和运输便利 化的十点行动计划
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is substantially impacting people’s lives and livelihoods and putting extreme stress on socioeconomic systems. International collaboration, coordination and solidarity among all is going to be key to overcoming this unprecedented global challenge. As part of efforts aimed at reducing the international spread of the virus and to mitigate the potentially crippling longer-term consequences of the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable countries, policymakers need to take a number of measures to ensure the facilitation of international trade and the transport of goods. It is crucial to keep ships moving, ports open and cross-border and transit trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. There is a need to keep ships moving, ports open and crossborder trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. Facilitating trade and the transport of goods has become more important than ever, to avoid logistics obstacles that lead to shortages of necessary supplies. The concrete measures proposed in this policy brief help to facilitate transport and trade and to protect the population from COVID-19.
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COVID-19: un plan de acción de 10 puntos para fortalecer el comercio internacional y la facilitación del transporte en tiempos de pandemia
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少La pandemia del coronavirus (COVID-19) está afectando sustancialmente las vidas y los medios de subsistencia de las personas y provocando un estrés extremo en los sistemas socioeconómicos. Colaboración internacional, coordinación y la solidaridad entre todos, va a ser clave para superar este desafío global sin precedentes. Como parte de los esfuerzos que buscan reducir la propagación internacional del virus y para mitigar las consecuencias potencialmente devastadoras a largo plazo de la pandemia, especialmente para los países más vulnerables, los responsables de la formulación de políticas deben tomar una serie de medidas para garantizar la facilitación del comercio internacional y el transporte de mercancías. Es crucial mantener los barcos en movimiento, puertos abiertos, comercio y transporte transfronterizo fluyendo, al tiempo que se garantiza que las agencias fronterizas puedan llevar a cabo todos los controles necesarios con seguridad.
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كوفيد19-ذ خطة عمل من عرش نقاط لتعزيز التجارة الدولية وتيسر حرقة النقل ي ظل الجائحة
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is substantially impacting people’s lives and livelihoods and putting extreme stress on socioeconomic systems. International collaboration, coordination and solidarity among all is going to be key to overcoming this unprecedented global challenge. As part of efforts aimed at reducing the international spread of the virus and to mitigate the potentially crippling longer-term consequences of the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable countries, policymakers need to take a number of measures to ensure the facilitation of international trade and the transport of goods. It is crucial to keep ships moving, ports open and cross-border and transit trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. There is a need to keep ships moving, ports open and crossborder trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. Facilitating trade and the transport of goods has become more important than ever, to avoid logistics obstacles that lead to shortages of necessary supplies. The concrete measures proposed in this policy brief help to facilitate transport and trade and to protect the population from COVID-19.
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COVID-19: План действий из 10 пунктов по усилению международной торговли и облегчению процедур перевозок во времена пандемии
出版日期: 七月 2020更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is substantially impacting people’s lives and livelihoods and putting extreme stress on socioeconomic systems. International collaboration, coordination and solidarity among all is going to be key to overcoming this unprecedented global challenge. As part of efforts aimed at reducing the international spread of the virus and to mitigate the potentially crippling longer-term consequences of the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable countries, policymakers need to take a number of measures to ensure the facilitation of international trade and the transport of goods. It is crucial to keep ships moving, ports open and cross-border and transit trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. There is a need to keep ships moving, ports open and crossborder trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. Facilitating trade and the transport of goods has become more important than ever, to avoid logistics obstacles that lead to shortages of necessary supplies. The concrete measures proposed in this policy brief help to facilitate transport and trade and to protect the population from COVID-19.
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The Need to Protect Science, Technology and Innovation Funding During and After the COVID-19 Crisis
出版日期: 六月 2020更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has infected more than 2,950,000 people and killed more than 202,000 worldwide to this date. While the overall economic impact of this outbreak is still unfolding, there are strong indications that it will cause the largest economic downturn since the 2008 financial crisis. This policy brief makes a case for protecting science, technology and innovation (STI) budgets during the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, based on the fact that continued investments in STI will be critical to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Even though developing countries as a group have recorded continued growth in R&D expenditure over recent years, the absolute levels remain small and their STI capabilities limited. It is therefore crucial for developing countries to reinforce their commitments to protect investment in STI and to design recovery packages that leverage technology and innovation for sustainable development. Stability and predictability of funding for science, technology and innovation are critical for the ability of national innovation systems to support sustainable development. During and after the COVID-19 crisis countries, particularly in the developing world where innovation systems remain fragile, should protect science, technology and innovation resources from austerity drives given their long-term implications for development strategies. The policy responses proposed in this policy brief introduce concrete steps in effectively continuing investments in science, technology and innovation, both during and after the crisis, towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
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COVID-19: A 10-Point Action Plan to Strengthen International Trade and Transport Facilitation in Times of Pandemic
出版日期: 六月 2020更多 更少The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is substantially impacting people’s lives and livelihoods and putting extreme stress on socioeconomic systems. International collaboration, coordination and solidarity among all is going to be key to overcoming this unprecedented global challenge. As part of efforts aimed at reducing the international spread of the virus and to mitigate the potentially crippling longer-term consequences of the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable countries, policymakers need to take a number of measures to ensure the facilitation of international trade and the transport of goods. It is crucial to keep ships moving, ports open and cross-border and transit trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. There is a need to keep ships moving, ports open and crossborder trade flowing, while ensuring that border agencies can safely undertake all necessary controls. Facilitating trade and the transport of goods has become more important than ever, to avoid logistics obstacles that lead to shortages of necessary supplies. The concrete measures proposed in this policy brief help to facilitate transport and trade and to protect the population from COVID-19.
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Topsy-turvy World: Net Transfer of Resources From Poor to Rich Countries
出版日期: 六月 2020更多 更少The crisis stemming from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has turned a spotlight on financial vulnerabilities in developing countries and the limitations they face in mobilizing domestic financial resources to respond to the pandemic at the required scale. This brief takes a step back from the COVID-19 crisis to highlight a longer-standing trend which is adding to the troubles facing developing countries. For the past two decades, net financial resource transfers between developed and developing countries have typically favoured the former and disadvantaged the latter. Overall, more financial resources have gone from developing to developed countries than have been returned. The policy brief looks at the main drivers of this net financial resource transfer to the developed world, including illicit financial flows from developing countries, and offers some policy proposals to address this problem.
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Trade Facilitation in Developing Countries: Can Blockchain Prompt a Leap Forward?
出版日期: 六月 2020更多 更少The entry into force of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the World Trade Organization in February 2017 propelled the concept of trade facilitation into mainstream policy dialogue and brought major attention to the challenges traders face, particularly in developing countries. At the same time, e-commerce (electronic commerce), just-in-time delivery, global value chains and smart shipping have been on the rise. Crossborder business-to-business, business-to-consumer and even consumer-to-consumer e-commerce, for instance, is poised to become globally ubiquitous, bringing along with it challenges for Governments. The challenges involve the implications for compliance, revenue collection, consumer protection, competition policy and safety and security. Amid these developments, how can Governments keep trade risks low and, at the same time, facilitate cross-border trade? Can modern technologies, such as blockchain, provide a solution and allow developing countries to make leaps forward in efficiency?
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