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Second Report of the UNCTAD Panel of Eminent Persons - Addressing key economic issues to advance sustainable development: Ideas for actions

Preface by Supachai Panitchpakdi
Secretary-General of UNCTAD

Since my arrival as Secretary-General in September 2005, I have been consistently and persistently pursuing an agenda of revitalizing UNCTAD as an institution through administrative and management reform, and as a force for the betterment of the development prospects of developing countries through ahead-of-the-curve thinking and action. For this purpose, I established the Panel of Eminent Persons to advise me, in the personal capacity of its members, on how to enhance the development role and impact of UNCTAD. The Panel came up with very valuable recommendations, most of which were endorsed and put into action by member States, together with the secretariat, as manifested in the outcome of UNCTAD XII. In the wake of the crisis I have reconvened the Panel with new members to help us set a new vision on how to pursue development-centered globalization in the post-crisis era. I am pleased to share this new report of the Panel with member States.

The report offers a number of ideas for actions to address key economic issues to advance sustainable development and the interests of developing countries in ten critical development areas. It is my sincere hope that member States will carefully consider these ideas, which are also being reviewed in the secretariat.

I would like to express my gratitude to the two co-Chairs and the members of the Panel for the wisdom and dedication they brought to this task. Through their work, they have made an invaluable contribution to the future of UNCTAD and to the development cause more generally. My appreciation also extends to the senior aides of the Eminent Persons and the secretariat staff who provided substantive backstopping to their work.