News

The renewal of the UN-backed initiative is vital to continuing to drive global food prices down and ensuring food security worldwide, especially in developing countries.

By renewing the Black Sea Grain Initiative, ending trade restrictions, facilitating exports and managing demand, we can get food, fertilizers and energy to all.

Cotton is a fibre like no other, helping alleviate poverty in some least developed countries and providing employment to millions of people across the globe.

The world’s poorest nations face many obstacles, including soaring debt, export marginalization, energy poverty and climate vulnerability.

UNCTAD’s rapid assessment of the war’s impact on trade and development shows a rapidly worsening outlook for the world economy, with the situation especially alarming for African and least developed countries.

The Global Commodities Forum 2021 tackles the many facets of commodity dependence and the vulnerabilities of countries whose economies rely on primary goods exports.

Heavy dependence on commodities has increased globally, leaving about two-thirds of developing countries vulnerable to economic shocks such as sharp commodity price fluctuations.

Between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and mid-2021, commodity prices increased across the region, with varied impacts on countries.

About 64% of developing economies rely on exporting primary goods, and most risk continuing down a path of commodity dependence unless they embrace technology-enabled structural transformation.

UNCTAD supports efforts to add value to cotton by-products in eastern and southern Africa to make the crop more profitable for farmers.