Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD

The Trade and Development Board

1. Reiterates the relevance of the technical cooperation pillar of UNCTAD, as reaffirmed in the Nairobi Maafikiano, in contributing to inclusive development in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;
    
2. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD on the review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD and their financing;
    
3. Notes with appreciation the tools provided by UNCTAD and recognizes the efforts made by the secretariat, such as the database of formal requests for technical assistance received from member States, while noting that more work needs to be done in order to render this an effective tool, in consultation with member States, especially regarding the inclusion of details of the proposals; and the UNCTAD Toolbox, which provides beneficiaries and donors with a comprehensive overview of the main products of UNCTAD;
    
4. Appreciates the implementation of results-based management by the secretariat in UNCTAD technical cooperation in line with United Nations guidelines;
    
5. Encourages the secretariat to continue its efforts to strengthen interdivisional and inter-agency cooperation for increased coherence and impact when delivering technical assistance;
    
6. Also appreciates the efforts to improve the quality of technical cooperation activities carried out by the secretariat in cooperation with beneficiaries, development partners and other international organizations, and encourages the secretariat to enhance the design, management and evaluation of technical cooperation activities in order to maximize the development impact;
    
7. Encourages UNCTAD to play a more significant role in the United Nations system in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, including through better participation in the “Delivering as one” process;
    
8. Takes note of the increased level of contributions from developing countries to UNCTAD trust funds, mainly to cover projects in their own countries;
    
9. Expresses concern about the low level of funding from some traditional sources to UNCTAD technical cooperation, resulting in a shortfall and unpredictability in the funding necessary to meet the increasing demand;
    
10. Encourages developed countries and development partners in a position to do so to make multi-year contributions to UNCTAD technical cooperation, in order to increase predictability in the planning and implementation of technical assistance programmes, and to enable the secretariat to meet demands for technical assistance;
     
11. Takes note that the allocation of non-earmarked funds for technical cooperation should encompass the totality of technical cooperation products offered by UNCTAD;
     
12. Takes note of the efforts made by the secretariat to address the funding gap, including by expediting work on the new funding mechanism in consultation with member States;
     
13. Encourages the secretariat to pursue its efforts to seek new funding partnerships, including through pooled funding mechanisms in support of the
    UNCTAD-led United Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity and other innovative mechanisms such as blended finance and public–private partnerships.