P166 Short Course: Trade, Trade Policy and Inequality

​The UNCTAD secretariat is pleased to announce that another series of short courses on key international economic issues for delegates from permanent missions to the United Nations Office at Geneva and the World Trade Organization will be held in the first semester of 2019.

The aim of the courses is to give delegates from permanent missions an opportunity to become better acquainted with topical issues and developments in the international economic agenda as they are reflected in the work of UNCTAD. Course descriptions are provided below.

This course will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be delivered in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic, French and Spanish. Courses will begin promptly at 10 a.m. to allow sufficient time for debate after the presentations.

The secretariat invites permanent missions to nominate delegates who follow matters pertaining to UNCTAD and/or the World Trade Organization to attend these courses.

Course applications may be completed online by using this link.

Trade, Trade Policy and Inequality
19 March 2019, room XXVI
Delivered in collaboration with the Division on International Trade and Commodities

Inequality has become a core concern of many policy makers around the world. An important objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to reduce inequality within and among countries (SDG 10). Trade has been often blamed for generating or exacerbating inequality not only amongst countries but also within countries. However, the relationship between trade and inequality both within and among countries is complex and not necessarily unidirectional. The main objective of the course is to qualify this relationship referring the most recent advances in economic theory and, using the most up to date facts and empirical evidence. The course starts with a description of the major dimensions of inequality and a discussion of the ways to measure them. It then defines and describes the different channels of transmission of any policy reform on inequality patterns. The last section of the course focuses on the role played by trade policy in framing inequality patterns. It also touches upon the question of how international cooperation in the wake of SDG17 could help in promoting convergence in general. 

The main objective of the course is to provide factual, methodological and analytical elements for a better and more informed understanding and appreciation of the policy debate about inequality and its consequences. By the end of the course participants will be able to define precisely the different dimensions of inequality and their measurement. They will also be able to identify any relevant channel of transmission between some policy reform with a strong focus on trade policy and the main dimensions of inequality. They will also be given the opportunity to discuss in detail any policy element they may have to focus in their professional duties.

Queries concerning the courses should be addressed to Ms. Randa Jamal, Project Coordinator,
Knowledge Development Branch, Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD, tel: 41 22 917 2718, email: randa.jamal@unctad.org.