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Multi-year Expert Meeting on Promoting Economic Integration and Cooperation, third session


02 - 03 July 2015
Room XXVI, Palais des Nations
Geneva
, Switzerland

The third session of the Multi-year Expert Meeting will be held in accordance with the terms of reference approved by the Bureau of the Trade and Development Board.

The objective of this session is to discuss how strengthening subregional, regional and interregional dialogue and cooperation can contribute to the economic integration and development of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The approaches that work best to boost productive capacities in a framework of regional integration will be analysed and discussed. The aim is to distil key policy lessons for development-oriented regional integration and identify important gaps in the understanding of these issues.

The development-oriented economic integration of developing countries in the world economy can spur global growth and reduce poverty and the lack of equality. However, identifying successful ways and means of achieving such integration remains a daunting challenge.

Given a less favourable trade environment, the exports-led growth strategies of developing countries and countries with economies in transition may be reaching their limits. Adjusting to the changing dynamics of the world economy will necessarily involve greater reliance on regional and domestic markets. Regional integration at various levels, however, faces diverse challenges, and solutions may involve a range of policies, mechanisms and instruments.

This session of the Multi-year Expert Meeting will explore the conditions under which trade might become an engine of growth in a process of regional integration. The meeting will also discuss productive integration as the basis of development-oriented regional integration, given that the issue of infrastructure continues to be pivotal among the issues to be addressed for deeper regional productive integration. The potential role of regional value chains in development-oriented regional integration will also be highlighted. Finally, issues related to financing for such integration will be explored. Bridging the gap between the investment needs - infrastructure needs in particular - of developing countries and countries with economies in transition and the finance currently available for this purpose is critical for any form of deeper regional productive integration. Experts are expected to bring to the meeting their own perspectives and to highlight specific issues in connection with their areas of expertise.

The meeting will be divided into three sessions, as follows:

  • The opening session will explore the conditions under which trade might become an engine of growth in a process of regional integration. The session will seek to identify how to go beyond trade liberalization and trade facilitation and to integrate trade policy in a broader policy framework aimed at the development of productive capacities at the regional level.

  • The second session will focus on productive integration as the basis of development-oriented regional integration, with particular emphasis on the role of infrastructure in deeper regional productive integration.

  • The third session will examine issues related to financing for development-oriented regional integration. The aim is to identify mechanisms for financing the large investment needs in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, in particular with regard to infrastructure development.

Contributed Papers

Experts are encouraged to prepare and submit in advance brief papers related to their studies, findings and/or country experiences. These papers will be made available at the meeting in the form and language in which they are received.

02 Jul 2015
 


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South-South cooperation South-South cooperation

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Contact


Communications concerning representation:
UNCTAD secretariat
Intergovernmental Support Service
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
 
Fax: 41 22 917 0214
E-mail: meetings@unctad.org
All other enquiries:
Mr. Igor Paunovic, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland;
fax: +41 22 917 0044