Trade and Development Commission, thirteenth session

The Trade and Development Commission is a subsidiary body of the Trade and Development Board and, as defined in the Bridgetown Covenant (para.121), will consider the outcomes of expert meetings and synergies between the three pillars (research and analysis; consensus-building; and technical assistance) and the work of the subprogrammes of UNCTAD.

The Commission will conduct policy dialogue on the following issues:

The role of trade in a development-led global energy transition:

The Trade and Development Commission will discuss the main requirements and features of a global energy transition, and the ways in which developing countries can shape the transition so that it maximizes their development gains.

The geography of trade and supply chain reconfiguration: Implications for trade, global value chains and maritime transport:

The Trade and Development Commission will discuss the impacts of the ongoing maritime logistics crisis on the geography of trade.

The geography of international trade has fundamentally changed over the last decades, reflecting wide-ranging factors. It has also been impacted by improvements in transport services, notably maritime shipping, which moves about 80 per cent of global trade volume. The volume of seaborne trade per person has doubled during the last five decades, and UNCTAD data on port throughput shows how developing countries have increased and shifted their participation during this period. Looking at logistics services, we observe that expenditures on inventory holding costs have gone down over the decades, while payments for transport services have increased, in line with more Just-in-Time deliveries and improved logistics and trade facilitation services.

These trends, however, may be changing, and businesses and policymakers need to reconsider some basic assumptions about ever-improving trade logistics services. The Commission will discuss if and how the ongoing supply chain crisis - including high freight rates, congestion and disruptions in shipping services - may impact the future of the geography of trade, maritime transport and supply chains.

Reports of meetings:

• Multi-year Expert Meeting on Commodities and Development
• Multi-year Expert Meeting on Trade, Services and Development
• Multi-year Expert Meeting on Enhancing the Enabling Economic Environment at All Levels in Support of Inclusive and Sustainable Development, and the Promotion of Economic Integration and Cooperation
• Multi-year Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation
• Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy
• Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy

Participation

The Commission is open to all member States of UNCTAD. Specialized agencies, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations (general and special category) are also eligible to participate as observers.

Registration

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

Logistics

The session will be held with physical participation, in room XVII of the Palais des Nations, and remote participation, through a simultaneous interpretation platform in the six official languages of the United Nations.

A link to the formal virtual meeting will be sent to registered participants, at the email address used for registration, one day in advance of the start of the session.