Multi-year Expert Meeting on Commodities and Development, fifteenth session

The Multi-year Expert Meeting on Commodities and Development aims to monitor developments, challenges and opportunities in commodity markets, giving due attention to those commodity sectors that are relevant to commodity-dependent developing countries.

The meeting will provid a platform for sharing national experiences of successful strategies and policies implemented at the national, regional and international levels to effectively implement structural transformation through domestic value addition in commodity-producing developing countries.

Experts will discuss the strategic shift needed for commodity-producing developing countries to transition from exporting raw materials to processing and manufacturing higher value-added products domestically, within the context of a just energy transition. This approach aims to diversify economies, create jobs and boost national income, thereby reducing commodity reliance and promoting resilience and sustainability.

Key enablers include the following: trade and industrial policy for economic diversification; reliable infrastructure (energy, transport, technology and research and development); access to affordable financing; consistent legal and regulatory frameworks; skilled workforce and environmental sustainability.

Experts will assess the challenges faced in commodity-dependent countries in enhancing the key enablers, achieving structural transformation, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring good governance and support services.

They will identify the policy actions required to address these challenges by all stakeholders, including Governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and local communities, at the national, regional and international levels.

The meeting will consist of six panel discussions over three days, covering:

• General overview of commodity market trends and prospects.
• Exploration of the theme of "Structural transformation through domestic value addition in commodity-producing developing countries".
• Examination of the management of price volatility of commodities such as critical energy transition minerals.
   

Each day will be dedicated to a particular commodity category, recognizing their distinct roles in global trade and economics:

• Food and agricultural commodities.
• Minerals, ores and metals, including energy transition minerals.
• Energy commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, coal and renewable energy.

This approach enables focused analysis and policy formulation suited to each category's unique economic impacts, technological dependencies and environmental considerations; and it facilitates discussion on commodities global markets and related policy by addressing specific challenges and opportunities in these sectors.

Participation

The meeting is open to all member States of UNCTAD. Other organizations, including specialized agencies, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations in the general and special categories, as well as academia and the private sector, may participate as observers.

Registration

Online registration is mandatory for all those wishing to attend the meeting and is required in order to be included in the list of participants.

Contributed Papers

Experts are encouraged to prepare and submit to the meeting brief papers (of about five pages) related to one or more of the issues contained in the provisional agenda and to the experiences of their countries. 

The papers will be made available at the meeting in the form and language in which they are received.

Logistics

The session will be held with physical participation in room XVII of the Palais des Nations. Those who cannot attend the meeting in person will be able to listen to the live audio stream in the six official languages of the United Nations.

The link to listen live will be sent to registered participants, at the email address used for registration, one day in advance of the start of the session.