unctad.org | Public Symposium 2014 Home Page

The Public Symposium is UNCTAD's annual outreach event where government officials, civil society representatives, academics, the private sector and other stakeholders come together to engage in open and interactive dialogue on critical issues in development.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of UNCTAD, the 2014 Public Symposium will explore how widening inequality poses a challenge to sustainable development - an issue that was raised as far back as 1964, when UNCTAD member States spoke of persistent "extremes of wealth and poverty" as a major risk to development and peace.

News

09 July 2014Delivering Equality and Sustainable Development

Official Development Assistance, improved tax collection and a strong role for civil society are essential to achieving sustainable development.

09 July 2014New opportunities for UNCTAD in the post-2015 development agenda

Breakout session led by the Geneva Consensus Foundation discusses optimal allocation of the world's resources for maximum global welfare and sustainable development.

04 July 2014Political will needed to tackle inequality

Following the 2008 financial crisis, trade, investment and tax rules still favour elites and transnational corporations, Public Symposium hears.

01 July 2014Briefing for civil society on responsible investment and capital markets

UNCTAD’s Public Symposium featured an in-depth look inside the workings of capital markets, briefing civil society on how to engage with companies, investors, regulators and exchanges to promote corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

19 June 2014Social protection and fiscal reform needed to tackle inequality, UNCTAD Public Symposium hears

Rising inequality is the result of policy choices and not an inevitable consequence of globalization, argued policymakers and experts on the first day of the UNCTAD Public Symposium in Geneva on 18 June.