At UNCTAD16, leaders from Africa, Asia and beyond agreed regional cooperation can anchor stability and inclusivity amid a surge in unilateral trade actions.
When trade becomes turbulent, neighbours matter.
That was the central message from ministers at the ministerial roundtable on regionalism taking place as part of the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16).
There, government ministers, policymakers and experts urged a renewed commitment to “open regionalism” as a pragmatic response to mounting uncertainty in global trade.
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan warned that the world is witnessing “a surge in uncertainty” that threatens the foundations of open commerce.
Between 2020 and 2024, she noted, countries introduced on average 1,200 unilateral trade measures per year – six times more than a decade earlier.
“These measures erode core trade principles like non-discrimination, transparency, reciprocity,” Ms Grynspan said.
“When rules keep changing, businesses delay investment, exporters lose markets, and growth slows. Uncertainty is the highest tariff of all.”
Open regionalism, open markets
Regional cooperation offers something rare in today’s world: Predictability, proximity and practical pathways forward.
Ms Grynspan called for “open regionalism” – integration that strengthens global links rather than retreating from them.
“Regionalism doesn’t replace multilateralism; it complements and reinforces it,” she said.
From Africa to Asia, ministers echoed this call, emphasizing that regional frameworks are helping their economies stay resilient while remaining open to global markets.
Ryad Mezzour, Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade, described his country as “an agent of open regionalism,” pointing to free trade agreements with partners across Africa, Europe, the United States and beyond.
“When you open up [to competition], you have to be fitter,” the minister said.
“[As a result] our export in the last 20 years multiplied by six-fold.”
In Southeast Asia, Tekreth Kamrang, Secretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce, said ASEAN’s open regionalism model helps lower trade barriers regionally while keeping markets open to external partners.
She cited ASEAN’s economic community and its role in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as examples of how regionalism can embed predictability, transparency and rule-based cooperation in times of global volatility.
A bridge to multilateralism
For Bhutan’s Minister for Industry, Commerce and Employment, Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji, regional integration is not a departure from multilateralism but “a bridge leading back to it.”
He said small and landlocked economies depend on such frameworks to transform from “being landlocked to land linked.”
Regional cooperation, he added, “builds trust – the much-needed currency in today’s world”, and helps ensure that trade uplifts people, not just economies.
Several ministers, including Kenya’s Regina Ombam, emphasized the need to modernize regional trade frameworks to include digital trade, sustainability and climate-smart business, while maintaining inclusivity and accountability.
She underscored UNCTAD’s role in providing data, negotiation support and legal frameworks that help African countries make trade work for development.
From predictability to prosperity
Ministers agreed that while global trade governance faces headwinds, regional cooperation remains a vital anchor for stability, especially for developing economies seeking growth through openness.
As Secretary-General Grynspan summed up, regionalism is back on the agenda – not as a retreat, but as a route to shared prosperity.