Section outline

  • 24 March 2014 (room XXV) – Rethinking the Global Development Agenda: A 50-Year Perspective

    The title of this session reflects the fact that 2014 is the fiftieth year in which UNCTAD and its member States have been leading efforts to promote more inclusive and sustainable development. Presentations will compare the trade, debt and development challenges and possibilities considered most pressing at UNCTAD’s birth, a half century ago, with the landscape that countries are facing today. Today’s forecasts for global trade and growth are low compared to prospects historically; but because country-specific goals and macroeconomic possibilities are more diverse, the multilateral environment is more fragmented. Globalized finance and capital markets play a much more prominent and very different role, provoking both positive and negative implications. Jobless growth, rising inequality and greater insecurity stand in stark contrast to new growth opportunities associated with technological progress, increased trade and capital flows and emerging economic powers. Rising levels of public and private debt remain a concern given the financial stability that is needed for social and economic development, but new mechanisms for debt management can create fresh opportunities for borrowers and lenders alike. Member States will be encouraged to share their experiences and views as we examine these topics through the lens of 50 years of inter-governmental activities, technical cooperation and research and development.

    Delivered by: Division on Globalization and Development Strategies