Thematic areas and main goals

1. Role of productive capacities in the context of the MDGs:

   UNDP and UNCTAD, in cooperation with the agencies of the Cluster, to raise awareness on the role of productive capacities as a crucial factor in the development processes.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • UNDP and UNCTAD will cooperate within the Cluster to organize and participate in international events of relevance in highlighting the role of productive capacities in the context of the MDGs.
   
   

2. Coordination on LDCs issues with specific reference the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF):

   Complementarities among the analytical work of UNCTAD and UNDP on LDCs´ development issues and policies to be emphasized and used as appropriate in each agency in view of greater impact.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • LDC IV: UNDP and UNCTAD will cooperate in the preparatory process of the LDC IV Conference and pre-conference event.
   • UNCTAD and UNDP will continue - within the EIF - to work closely in ensuring the delivery of complementary and well sequenced responses to LDCs´ trade needs. UNDP/UNCTAD will partner to strengthen the national capacity for trade mainstreaming (national and regional levels) in the context of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS), EIF training workshops and other related activities.
   
   

3. Trade issues and trade-related assistance:

   UNCTAD and UNDP to join efforts and coordinate their work taking into account their respective approaches and competencies at the global, regional and national levels, and with a view toward making better use of UNCTAD expertise on trade issues, and improving the dissemination of UNCTAD work on trade including through the UN Resident Coordinator System.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • A new regional Africa UNDP Trade Programme is being implemented by the UNDP/RBA. Contacts with UNCTAD are ongoing in view of incorporating UNCTAD inputs.
   • Similar approaches will be applied to other UNDP regional or national operations concerning trade and related matters where UNCTAD expertise is relevant.
   • UNDP and UNCTAD will endeavor to advance a Joint Regional Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean in partnership with SELA. Seed funding is made available by UNDP RBLAC.
   
   

4. Gender and trade:

   UNCTAD and UNDP to share similar views on the role of this topic in the formulation and implementation of trade and development policies at the global, regional and national levels.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • As appropriate, UNDP country offices will cooperate with UNCTAD on country-related work on trade and gender as part of the UNCTAD project on trade and gender financed by the Development Account. UNDP´s gender team will consider possible partnerships and follow up at the national level.
   
   

5. SMEs and private sector development policies:

   at the global, regional and national levels, to take advantage of the complementarities in their analytical and operational work in this area.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • UNDP´s Private Sector Division and ILO will organize an UN inter-agency workshop on increasing UN coordination and cooperation in the area of value chain development in July 2010, under the umbrella of the UN CEB Cluster.
   
   

6. Commodities:

   More contacts between the two organizations to be established in order to identify new areas of cooperation at the global, regional and national levels.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • Opportunities for cooperation through the Global Commodity Initiative and the Global Commodity Forum will be discussed.
   
   

7. Trade, environment and biodiversity:

   UNCTAD and UNDP to join efforts and coordinate their work in order to better mainstream environment considerations in trade related support
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • UNDP/RBLAC, UNCTAD and other UN organizations are collaborating in the development of the Regional Biodiversity Report "Biodiversity and Ecosystems: Why these are Important for Sustained Growth and Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean", Particularly, UNCTAD prepared a section based on the experience of BioTrade and an analysis of the emerging markets for biodiversity-based products and services in LAC countries.
   • UNCTAD and UNDP are collaborating in the organization of the BioDiversity Latin American Commission in October 2010, with the aim to contribute to the 10 session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan.
   • UNCTAD, UNDP and other UN Agencies collaborated in the organization of the African Carbon Forum in March 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya.
   • UNCTAD and UNDP will continue to collaborating in the implementation of the BioTrade programme.
   
   

8. Development finance:

   Cooperation to be strengthened in the areas of public finance, debt analysis and management and aid management, to improve transparency and economic governance and in the light of the participation of both organizations in the International Aid Transparency Initiative.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • Regional initiatives such as the one undertaken by UNCTAD/DMFAS and based in the UNDP Office in Mali could be replicated in other regions.
   • UNCTAD and UNDP will systematically share information on debt analysis and management issues at the national and international level.
   • Both organizations will explore how to integrate UNCTAD/DMFAS computerized debt management system with the aid management systems used by Governments (and related capacity development support), of which many are supported by UNDP, with a view towards establishing integrated financial management systems at the national level.
   • UNCTAD and UNDP will identify areas of cooperation under UNCTAD´s project on responsible lending and borrowing as appropriate.
   • UNDP and UNCTAD will explore cooperation to support Ecuador and Latin American monetary authorities regarding the coordination of intra-regional monetary policies and related mechanisms.
   
   

Cross-cutting areas

1. Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity:

   Within the Cluster, UNDP and UNCTAD to coordinate their field operations as well as other interagency actions to provide support on development-centered trade policies and productive capacities in development processes and plans.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • Ongoing joint activities of UNDP (Geneva and country offices) and UNCTAD in particular at the country level in the preparation of new UNDAFs. In particular, the two agencies will collaborate on the new UNCTAD project financed by the Development Account that is aimed at enhancing the role of trade- related assistance in the design of new UNDAFs.
   
   

2. South-South Cooperation:

   UNCTAD and UNDP to join efforts in various areas of South/South cooperation in view of complementing their work at the global, regional and national levels.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and UNCTAD will collaborate more closely in the production of reports relating to flows of South-South trade, investment and finance particularly in regard to the Secretary-General´s biennial report on the State of South-South cooperation, the South Report and the Administrator´s reports to the High-level Committee on South-South cooperation.
   • The UNDP Special Unit on SSC will be invited to participate in the meetings of experts on SSC organized by UNCTAD.
   • Collaboration between the UNCTAD Unit on Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries and the UNDP Special Unit on SSC needs to be formalized and strengthened in order for the research and analytical work of UNCTAD to reach the intergovernmental bodies serviced by the Special Unit.
   
   

3. Dissemination of UNCTAD expertise, flagship reports and publications:

   Cooperation to be strengthened between UNCTAD and UNDP in view of improving the dissemination and awareness of UNCTAD work, in particular by increasing contacts with UNDP field offices. The main goal is to improve the outreach of UNCTAD key policy messages.
   
   Actions and deliverables
   
   • Both organizations will work together to distill key policy messages from UNCTAD´s flagship reports on LDCs, trade and development, investment and Africa to ensure that these messages are taken into account in policy discussions at the regional and country levels. At the national level Resident Coordinator´s assistant for non-resident agencies office will be used as a means to facilitating the dissemination and utilization of UNCTAD reports.
   • UNCTAD will provide UNDP with summaries of the key messages s for dissemination among UNDP networks, including the new platform Teamworks.
   • UNCTAD will inform UNDP in advance of the launching events to facilitate the participation of UNDP regional and country staff.