Trade, multilateral cooperation and sustainable development

The Trade and Development Commission

1. Reiterates the importance of international trade as a key means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals, and stresses the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system;
    
2. Stresses the importance of synergies between UNCTAD, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and the World Trade Organization within their respective mandates and resources, with regard to inclusive international trade and with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no one behind;
    
3. Welcomes the presentation of the trade, multilateral cooperation and sustainable development note by the UNCTAD secretariat and discussion on recent trends in trade and trade policy and participation of developing countries in global trade;
    
4. Expresses concern with the slow progress made in significantly increasing the share of developing countries, and least developed countries in particular, in world trade, as stipulated under target 17.11 of the Sustainable Development Goals;
    
5. Welcomes with appreciation the technical support given by UNCTAD to the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and encourages UNCTAD to continue its support towards the full achievement of the goals set by the Agreement;
    
6. Notes with concern the rising uncertainties regarding future trade prospects, in light of tensions in trade relations among countries and rising protectionism, which negatively affect international trade flows and place the multilateral trading system at risk;
    
7. Requests the UNCTAD secretariat to provide an open space for dialogue with member States and stakeholders, including the private sector, on the development dimension of the multilateral trading system in the twenty-first century, obstacles prior to, during and in the follow-up to the World Trade Organization accession process of developing countries, investment facilitation, electronic commerce and services, current trade tensions, non-tariff measures, including unilateral measures, and new generation regional and bilateral trade agreements;
    
8. Calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to continue to monitor and report on trade trends and trade policy, including tensions affecting the multilateral trading system, in particular those resulting from unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that impede the full achievement of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries, collate and analyse data on the various areas in trade of interest to developing countries, including fair prices and value addition for commodities, strengthening of South–South trade, and on future trade prospects in the light of, inter alia, global value chains, innovation, gender and access to and use of technology;
    
9. Further calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its analysis of the contribution of international trade to sustainable development in the context of rising inequalities within and between countries;
    
10. Commends the in-depth policy research and analysis conducted by the UNCTAD secretariat on trade and sustainable development and its innovative work on emerging issues, including the gender impact of trade reforms, and encourages the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its work;
     
11. Notes with appreciation the capacity-building initiatives carried out by the UNCTAD secretariat in all developing regions on issues such as non-tariff measures, the green and the blue economy, trade and gender, as well as youth and related aspects for young people of education and empowerment for entrepreneurship promotion, electronic commerce readiness promotion, competition law and policy, consumer protection and voluntary sustainable standards, and encourages UNCTAD to continue its work on these areas;
     
12. Calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to publish a report addressing emerging issues in international trade and their implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, within existing resources, for consideration at the next meeting of the Trade and Development Commission;
     
13. Notes with appreciation the policy research and analysis, as well as the tools and technical cooperation programmes, provided by UNCTAD to support trade facilitation reforms and sustainable and resilient freight transport, including the Automated System for Customs Data, empowerment for national trade facilitation committees, sustainable and resilient transport toolbox and port management programme, eTrade for all, trade development and gender programme and statistics programme, and encourages UNCTAD to continue its work in building the capacities of developing countries for better implementation of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation;
     
14. Commends UNCTAD on the fiftieth anniversary of its Review of Maritime Transport, and the comprehensive maritime statistics and maritime country profiles that complement this important publication;
     
15. Calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its policy-oriented analytical work and capacity-building activities to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant international agreements, including the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024, SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for
    the Decade 2011–2020 and the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the World Trade Organization, in the areas of shipping and maritime transport, ports, transport corridors, multimodal and transit transport, trade facilitation and customs modernization, and also challenges and opportunities of transit developing countries and countries with economies in transition with regard to trade facilitation, within existing resources;
16. Calls upon UNCTAD to continue its analytical work in the area of international maritime transport, and to include the monitoring and analysis of the effects of cooperative arrangements and mergers on freight rates and on the frequency, efficiency, reliability and quality of services;
17. Encourages UNCTAD to enhance its monitoring, research and analysis, advisory services and provision of statistics on international trade and transport costs and transport connectivity;
18. Calls upon UNCTAD to make efforts to expand its technical cooperation in the areas of transport and trade facilitation, including the empowerment programme for national trade facilitation committees, and to cover all developing regions.