MACHINE NAME = WEB 1

TDB expresses support for Public Symposium

27 September 2013

UNCTAD member States voiced support for UNCTAD's Public Symposium and its outcome when a civil society representative introduced the report of the latest session.

The report of the 2013 Public Symposium was introduced last week to the Trade and Development Board by Esther Busser, Assistant Director of the Geneva Office of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Ms. Busser said the Symposium, which debated the topic "New economic approaches for a coherent post-2015 agenda," provided a useful space where civil society organizations and UNCTAD could discuss important issues, exchange views, and join forces.

The state of the global economy is still very worrying, said Ms Busser. She highlighted specific recommendations from the Symposium, such as the establishment of sound financial regulation, a financial transactions tax, and the restructuring of international trade and investment agreements to ensure equitable sharing of benefits.

"Focus on poverty reduction is highly desirable, but so are equality targets and targets on structural transformation for a post-2015 agenda currently on the table," Ms Busser told the meeting. Participants at the Public Symposium have since expressed concern that efforts currently under way in New York on how to approach development in the years after 2015 do not address the systemic issues discussed at the Symposium, she said.

Ms. Busser said the Public Symposium has proved useful and recommended that it be institutionalized as a regular event.

Petko Draganov, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD, described the Symposium as an excellent example of how UNCTAD engages different stakeholders in open and helpful exchanges of views.

A representative of Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the G77 and China, said the most recent Symposium and was valuable and invited and encouraged all member States to attend the next edition of the event.

A representative of South Africa said the report of the session is useful for its focus on new economic approaches based on lessons learned. He also called for a review of trade and investment bilateral agreements, a topic that was debated at the Symposium.

And a representative of the Dominican Republic termed the event an ideal forum to for ensuring civil society participation at UNCTAD.