BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:unctad.org BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6a58a935aad95 DTSTART:20250630T123000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20250630T140000Z LOCATION:Seville\, Spain SUMMARY:FFD4 side event: Reclaiming competitiveness - commodities\, trade\, and industrialization for sustainable development CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) along with other developi ng regions in Africa\, Asia and the Pacific are endowed with abundant stra tegic natural resources — from lithium and copper to biodiversity and ag ricultural commodities. Yet\, despite these advantages\, many developing c ountries have struggled to convert their resource wealth into sustained\, inclusive\, and innovation-driven development. Amid a global landscape sha ped by climate urgency\, digital transformation\, and shifting geopolitica l dynamics— there is a renewed imperative to rethink the development mod el in the LAC region and across the developing world. In the context of th e Financing for Development Agenda\, international trade is recognized as a key engine for development since the 1st International Conference on Fin ancing for Development. For many developing countries—especially in the LAC region international trade continues to be the primary source of exter nal financing. This side event seeks to build on the momentum of FFD4\, w hich emphasizes the importance of strengthening productive capacity-buildi ng\, increasing value addition\, and mobilizing domestic resources as key pillars for bridging the sustainable development financing gap. With expor t revenues continuing to serve as a vital source of foreign exchange for m ost developing economies\, boosting the quality\, complexity\, and sustain ability of trade and commodities is no longer optional — it is a corners tone to building resilient financing for development.ObjectivesThis sessio n will explore how developing countries\, including in Latin America and t he Caribbean\, can reclaim their competitive advantages in natural resourc es as a platform for a new era of smart\, sustainable\, and inclusive indu strialization. Specifically\, the event will:Foster dialogue among governm ents\, the private sector\, development banks\, international organization s\, and academia on how to align commodity-based sectors with 21st-century sustainable industrial policies\;Identify investment\, innovation\, and p olicy opportunities to transform developing countries\, including LAC’s resource base into engines of higher-value\, technology-intensive\, and lo w-carbon growth\;Discuss the enabling role of regional and multilateral tr ade and investment frameworks\, and the importance of predictability\, tra nsparency\, and equitable market access.Questions: What does a “new sus tainable industrialization” strategy look like in the age of climate tra nsition\, digitalization\, and multipolar trade?How can LAC transform its commodity sector — critical minerals such as lithium or copper\, or agri -commodities\,— into drivers of diversified\, sustainable\, and tech-int ensive value chains?What is the role of the State\, private capital\, and development banks in building the infrastructure\, technology\, and instit utions needed for this shift? How can regional cooperation better support industrial and export-led development\, and can the global debt architectu re be leveraged to advance this goal?This event contributes directly to th e priorities outlined in the FFD4 Outcome Document\, particularly:The mo bilization of domestic public resources through better taxation of natural resources and investment in productive sectors\;The promotion of trade a s an engine for increased economic activity and sustainable development\, especially through value addition in commodities and critical minerals\;Th e reform of the international financial architecture to align trade\, STI \, and productive development with financing mechanisms\;The role of nati onal development banks and public finance institutions in crowding in inve stment and fostering industrial upgrading.<\;p>\;Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) along with other developing regions in Africa\, Asia and the Pacific are endowed with abundant strategic natural resources — from lithium and copper to biodiversity and agricultural commodities. Yet\, de spite these advantages\, many developing countries have struggled to conve rt their resource wealth into sustained\, inclusive\, and innovation-drive n development. Amid a global landscape shaped by climate urgency\, digital transformation\, and shifting geopolitical dynamics— there is a renewed imperative to rethink the development model in the LAC region and across the developing world. In the context of the Financing for Development Agen da\, international trade is recognized as a key engine for development sin ce the 1st International Conference on Financing for Development. For many developing countries—especially in the LAC region international trade c ontinues to be the primary source of external financing.&\;nbsp\;<\;/ p>\;<\;p>\;This side event seeks to build on the momentum of FFD4\, which emphasizes the importance of strengthening productive capacity-build ing\, increasing value addition\, and mobilizing domestic resources as key pillars for bridging the sustainable development financing gap. With expo rt revenues continuing to serve as a vital source of foreign exchange for most developing economies\, boosting the quality\, complexity\, and sustai nability of trade and commodities is no longer optional — it is a corner stone to building resilient financing for development.<\;/p>\;<\;h4& gt\;Objectives<\;/h4>\;<\;p>\;This session will explore how develo ping countries\, including in Latin America and the Caribbean\, can reclai m their competitive advantages in natural resources as a platform for a ne w era of smart\, sustainable\, and inclusive industrialization. Specifical ly\, the event will:<\;/p>\;<\;ul>\;<\;li>\;Foster dialogue am ong governments\, the private sector\, development banks\, international o rganizations\, and academia on how to align commodity-based sectors with 2 1st-century sustainable industrial policies\;<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;Iden tify investment\, innovation\, and policy opportunities to transform devel oping countries\, including LAC’s resource base into engines of higher-v alue\, technology-intensive\, and low-carbon growth\;<\;/li>\;<\;li& gt\;Discuss the enabling role of regional and multilateral trade and inves tment frameworks\, and the importance of predictability\, transparency\, a nd equitable market access.<\;/li>\;<\;/ul>\;<\;h4>\;Questions :&\;nbsp\;<\;/h4>\;<\;ul>\;<\;li>\;What does a “new susta inable industrialization” strategy look like in the age of climate trans ition\, digitalization\, and multipolar trade?<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;How can LAC transform its commodity sector — critical minerals such as lith ium or copper\, or agri-commodities\,— into drivers of diversified\, sus tainable\, and tech-intensive value chains?<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;What i s the role of the State\, private capital\, and development banks in build ing the infrastructure\, technology\, and institutions needed for this shi ft? How can regional cooperation better support industrial and export-led development\, and can the global debt architecture be leveraged to advance this goal?<\;/li>\;<\;/ul>\;<\;p>\;This event contributes dir ectly to the priorities outlined in the&\;nbsp\;FFD4 Outcome Document\, particularly:<\;/p>\;<\;ul>\;<\;li>\;The&\;nbsp\;mobilizat ion of domestic public resources through better taxation of natural resour ces and investment in productive sectors\;<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;The pro motion of&\;nbsp\;trade as an engine for increased economic activity an d sustainable development\, especially through value addition in commoditi es and critical minerals\;<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;The reform of the inter national financial architecture to align&\;nbsp\;trade\, STI\, and prod uctive development with financing mechanisms\;<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;The &\;nbsp\;role of national development banks and public finance institut ions in crowding in investment and fostering industrial upgrading.<\;/li >\;<\;/ul>\;\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeti ng/ffd4-side-event-reclaiming-competitiveness-commodities-trade-and-indust rialization DTSTAMP:20260716T094941Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR