News

Drawing on a powerful new database that tracks and traces the plastic life cycle, UNCTAD shows where countries can apply trade policy pressure to reduce pollution.

The technology that runs cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin could be used in many applications that contribute to sustainable development, from crop insurance to vaccine supply chains.

Although many low and middle-income economies are unprepared for the new technological wave, some are punching above their weight, and a new UNCTAD report spotlights the overperformers.

UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2021 warns, however, of serious implications for development objectives if poor communities are overwhelmed or left behind by the new technological wave.

Switzerland replaced the Netherlands at the top of UNCTAD's Business-to-Consumer E-commerce Index 2020, which ranks 152 countries on their readiness to engage in online commerce.

By Henrique Pacini, Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD, and Tze Ni Yeoh, Consultant, World Bank

Guidelines to help governments, companies and consumers benefit from sustainable trade in precious plants and animals now include elements such as climate resilience and marine biodiversity.

By Teresa Moreira, Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, UNCTAD

By entering the formal market, Cameroonian businesses and their employees may gain access to loans, insurance and legal protection even amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting actors in the digital economy differently. While some digital businesses are showing resilience, costs are rising for others, a new UNCTAD survey shows.